


Reeling Off the Wheel

by RobBoyBlunder



Category: Batim - Fandom, Bendy and the Ink Machine, bendy - Fandom
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Anachronistic, Angst with a Happy Ending, Body Horror, Break Up, Break Up Talk, Cartoon Humor, Cartoon Physics, Character Death, Chronal Disassociation, Cult, Cults, Dark Magic, Death, Disassociation, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, FORGOT TO MENTION OOPS, Found Family, Gen, Happy Ending, Horror, Implied Death, Implied Murder, In Universe Exploration, Injury, M/M, Magic, Murder, Not Canon Compliant, Other, Psychological Horror, Satanism (sort of... it's bendy), Time is fucked up in here don't ask, Trauma, Violence, canon non-compliant, haha the major character death isn't what you'd think. it's... somethin sneaky, i sort of took the canon then added magic and made it gayer, identity crisis, it has a happy ending, occultism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:41:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 69
Words: 360,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21611671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobBoyBlunder/pseuds/RobBoyBlunder
Summary: Henry Stein has been trapped in the studio for a long time, endlessly repeating the cycle mindlessly wishing for a way out- a break in the mundane that could possibly change things. When that break finally comes to him however in the form of a familiar face yet unfamiliar friend, things begin to break loose upsetting the balance. As the story diverges from its path while Henry learns new secrets about exactly how the studio has been running beneath him, the world he came to know begins to show a whole new level of horror and mystery. Who and what is the Ink Demon? How did it all come to be in the first place? What's really been going on this whole time that he hadn't known before? Making new friends while coming to re-face old enemies, Henry must learn the answers to find a way out before it's too late and the reel breaks and falls off past the point of return.
Relationships: Henry Stein/Joey Drew, Henry Stein/Joey Drew (implied; they're exes), Joey Drew/Henry Stein, Joey Drew/Henry Stein (still exes), Norman Polk/Sammy Lawrence, Sammy Lawrence/Norman Polk, There's a lot of relationships that are a mess... mostly LGBT or old ones that ended. it's a mess
Comments: 419
Kudos: 474





	1. One Bolt Loose

**Author's Note:**

> READ FIRST BEFORE CONTINUING: This fanfiction was written prior to any information released after the final completion of chapter five of the official original bendy and the ink machine. any later added information disclosed about characters and plot of the franchise therefore is not included, and will not be present in the writing outside of the original game's plot. This work is purely for entertainment and is not related to anyone associated with Bendy and the Ink Machine, nor does it reflect their views. This fiction is not meant to be canon-compliant as it is an ALTERNATE UNIVERSE and follows my own version of the story and characters. The story is also not meant to be 'historically accurate' meaning there will be some slip ups and I refuse to include bigotry since it's fiction and is full of things like magic and demons- there's no need for that. Thanks for understanding.
> 
> The beginning admittedly will be a little slow as it ties the main game into my AU, but I promise you it gets much better around the end of chapter 3/start of chapter 4! I promise it's worth it! Also, NOTE: I am not looking for critique on this work at this time. I have a test-reader who is helping me revise, and do not need suggestions otherwise; this is for fun and not a college essay. please refrain making 'suggestions' on how to change my writing, thank you.
> 
> Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy the ride as much as I had writing it!

* * *

Most would argue that time runs linear. Only one direction, continuing forward towards an unknown future infinitely.

However, in the sepia monotoned colorless world of ink, death, and fear, time ran more like an exhausting reel; rolling rapidly, only to skip and rewind back to the beginning to start over.

Henry couldn’t say much about the subject other than he wished that one day the reel would either fall off, burn, or change in some way and let them go. It made him think about an old rodent he used to have as a kid, running itself to exhaustion on a little wheel in a similar manner. Oddly enough, he felt a strong pity for it now if this was its idea of entertainment; he didn’t find even a little amusement in it other than his personal messages used to mock the purgatory.

No matter how many times he tried, Henry always ended drawing another tally mark; it was an unsolvable puzzle he couldn’t find the answer to. Despite the endless repetition however, something kept him going- something was still moving him forward again, and again each time he opened that door. The thought that there had to be something more- something maybe he’d missed last time. Something like a secret message, a key, or some other route he hadn’t tried yet. And even though he was running out of options, Henry still felt something push him forward…

And that something he’d recognized was perhaps the most important thing in the entire realm. It was hope. The hope that made him believe there had to be a way, but he just couldn’t see it yet… but someday, he’d find it.

For now however, Henry was simply sitting and resting with his back against the exit door, eyes closed and running a hand through his hair; he had, once again, used ‘the end’ to return to the beginning to run the course all over again. 

It was ironic, in a way- in this world, the end was also the beginning; it was as if they’d merged to become one in the same. Neither one truly lead anywhere, nor granted escape. At least, not yet.

Because of this, Henry wanted to try and take a break at the beginning before diving back into it, merely to see if he could. Usually he’d take his breaks with Boris, but this time he just wanted to catch his breath without inhaling ink fumes the machine so merrily spewed.

Quietly rolling his head on his shoulders, he wondered what it was like for the soulless Ink demon who had to redo this as much as he did; did it even think at all for that matter? Was it aware of anything, or simply following a written script- mindless like some program meant to torture him? Or was he the torturer himself, continuously foiling the demon’s attempts to kill him and free itself each time by burning it with the end reel?

The cycling thoughts began to hurt Henry’s head, so he decides to not try and ponder it too hard for the moment. 

In the quiet now, he idly taps his fingers on his knee to random bits of the many tunes he’s sure he’d heard at least a hundred times at this point. His favorite personally was the soft tune hummed by Alice Angel, despite how much he hated the ink studio’s version of her for what she always did to Boris. It was rather hopeful compared to the other songs, which were quite adamant about hatred and suffering like the writing scrawled on the walls. No, the sort-of-hopeful lyrics of lonely angel were much preferred, but only when sang by someone _not_ bent on hurting his friends.

Lost in his thoughts about music, Henry hadn’t noticed something watching from the nearby shadows with gleaming curious eyes. While he was sitting and tapping, another presence had been drawn by the sound. Henry, however, had been staring at the ceiling until movement caught his eye making him glance over nervously. Unsure if he’d actually seen something, he figures he’d try an unlikely but plausible approach to find out:

“Hello?...”

His small query went unanswered in the dusty silence of the currently inactive studio, only making him feel less safe. There shouldn’t be anyone else but him before the machine was on… there _couldn’t_ be; it had never happened before. With the many countless times he’d run the wheel never seeing a difference, there couldn’t be one now. Right?

Unable to quell the nagging thought, Henry decides he might as well investigate to hopefully get some form of an answer, or satisfy his paranoia at the least. Maybe it was just a trick of the light from one of the many old flickering projectors? Or perhaps he was losing his mind finally (if he hadn’t already) and hallucinating, which surprisingly hadn’t happened yet- at least to his knowledge. Either way, he sighs and finally rises from against the exit door, staring down the hall for a long moment before beginning to investigate. Pausing now and again, he stops to call a ‘Hello?’ into the silence, still with no answer.

Sighing once again to himself, Henry decides it wasn’t worth the effort; if something _was_ there, it’d be bound to find him anyways right? Resigned, he begins heading for his old desk to at least sit in a chair instead of on the floor; his back ached enough without him making it worse. However, he pauses mid step at a sound he hadn’t hear before, foot hovering over the floorboards. 

A quiet tune was being hummed from somewhere- and it was _definitely_ not from him, as the voice actually had proper rhythm and pitch. Whoever it was, they were clearly familiar with singing of some sort, which made him immediately think of the musician obsessed with Bendy. The voice however was rather high pitched, even for the antsy not-so-masculine musician… it only made him more confused, yet curious.

Following the sound, Henry found himself going in circles, realizing it wasn’t coming from any linear direction- somehow it was everywhere, yet nowhere at the same time. Holding his head, he decides maybe he had finally started to hallucinate when an almost mocking chuckle broke the musical humming. Looking around wildly, he still couldn’t find the source and it was really beginning to edge his paranoid thoughts; was something actually happening, or was it just him? It was too much to hope, surely, that something could’ve changed that might break the cycle so suddenly.

Then again, before ending up here at the beginning again during one of his many rewinds, Henry could have sworn the last thing he’d seen was the giant beast form bendy clawing at its own face like trying to tear something off instead of reaching for him…

“You’re rather twitchy these days, huh?”

Henry flinched roughly enough to make the floorboards clack under his shoes as he practically jumped a foot into the air (surprisingly in his age, he was still running and jumping around the place). Turning on his heels, he couldn’t bring himself to speak or move from what he saw… utter disbelief, confusion, and strangely enough, amazement held him silently cemented in place.

Before him a little devil he was all too familiar with had his head cocked to one side, a smug grin curled on his face, but not in the twitching menacing way of the Ink demon; no, he was, to put in words “Alice” may use... ‘perfect’. Untouched by ink, uncorrupted by the machine… at least physically, from what he could see. Henry was surprised that he could look so real, yet so fake at the same time… a living cartoon.

“Yeesh, I guess I can’t blame ya for starin’ at a good lookin’ demon pally, but it’s kinda creepy… ya gonna say somethin’ or what?”

At that, Henry opened his mouth before coughing roughly, feeling oddly embarrassed by his lack of composure. He had created Bendy to be easily charismatic, showing up anyone in the room; but he hadn’t expected it would be _him_ one day. Clearing his throat, he stood up straighter as he looked down on Bendy, confused and slightly cautious expecting something to go wrong… was he asleep? Could you really dream in this place when it was already a living nightmare? Either way, Henry finally responds;

“Sorry, but in my circumstance it’s just… well, not to offend you, but your presence usually isn’t a good thing around here.”

He can only think of the horrible sound coming from the Ink demon as it tried to catch him while running…

“Whaaat? Little ol’ me? A bad presence? No way, i’m a perfect angel!”

At that, the little demon batted his eyes innocently, and Henry could almost see the comical ironic halo over his head before Bendy waved a hand laughing at his own sarcasm

“Nah, I get it; I know what’s been goin’ on ‘round here. It’s just a shame I only JUST figured out how ta get in on all of your, uhhhhh, ‘fun’ heh-heh”

Henry looked unamused at that, instinctively holding up the viewing device and prompting a curious expression from the little devil who blinked a few times. Through the glass nothing changed, he was simply just… well, him.

“That some kinda spy glass?? You tryin’ ta read my mind or somethin’?”

Bendy tapped his head with a comical hollow knocking noise coming from it somehow, winking at Henry before continuing to speak

“Look, I may be plenty smart an’ full ‘a secrets, butcha ain’t findin’ anythin’ on me!”

Henry shook his head in response, putting away the device while now wondering if he could trust this situation… To be fair, at the worst he’d have to pull himself from the strange ink tunnel like he typically did when he made a mistake, and at best… Well, a deviation from the cycle meant maybe it was losing its track finally.

Sighing now, Henry skeptically inspects the little demon

“It’s not that… I just… well, it’s hard to believe what you see. At least, for me…”

Bendy trots confidently up to him now, making Henry take a step back only to elicit an inquisitive look from the demon who shakes his head with a shrug

“Look, I ain’t gonna bite if that’s what yer worried about; I only bite chumps an’ good lookin’ gals if they say I can, not dusty old bones! Though, ta be fair I might be just as happy ta bite a good lookin’ guy too… oh, that makes me think of-”

Henry stares as Bendy goes on a tangent list of all the things he’d be glad to bite, unable to help himself from breaking into a large smile; this was his creation. His _own_ imagination- alive! Right in front of him, in the way Joey had only been able to _dream_ of… and he was somehow lucky enough to see it, even if it might just be an illusion.

Kneeling in front of Bendy now, Henry can’t stop himself from pulling the little devil into a tight hug instantly cutting his chatter. Squirming a bit, Bendy gives him a look

“Wh- hey, old mister… I’m not some teddy bear if that’s what yer thinkin’! I know i’m good lookin’, but I ain’t a cute toy-”

“You’re… _Alive_. I can’t believe it- I mean, I can’t really believe the other things here, but I _really_ can’t believe this!... But are you really _real?_...”

Silently slumped in Henry’s grasp for the moment, Bendy seems to be comprehending Henry’s words before he shoves with a struggle out of his arms, giving him a dirty look and pointing at him accusingly

“Alright, alright; let’s get a few things straight here- yeah, It’s me, Bendy the ‘dancin’ demon’; the ‘devil darlin’’ himself in the flesh. Everyone knows who _/I/_ am, but don’t think I don’t know who _/you/_ are! Ya left us with that… that… oh i’m so mad I can’t think of an insult to call him that’s family friendly enough! I have a lot ta say ta you, but we’d be sittin’ here so long ya’d turn ta dust! Whaddya have ta say for yerself, huh?!”

“I… I don’t know. I’m not sure I can even take your word that you’re, well… actually _real_.”

Puffing a bit, the little demon taps one foot impatiently putting his non-pointed hand on his hip; the gesture was rather cute, but seeing him in reality was still somewhat uncanny.

“Listen, bub, yer just gonna have ta take my word fer it- yer able ta touche me, aren’tcha?? So there, I’m real! But whatta ‘bout the whole ‘abanonin’ the studio’ thing, huh?? Ya left me an’ all the others behind! How can ya even begin ta-”

“I’m sorry.”

The sudden response clearly caught Bendy off guard, as his expression goes blank and his pointed finger seems to droop slightly.

“You… hm. Well- sorry ain’t gonna fix it because-”

“Look, I didn’t know this would happen…how could anyone have? I left because I thought Joey was talking mad about his dreams, thinking too big for a cartoon I just wanted to share; and I wanted a family… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to…”

Bendy clasps a hand on Henry’s mouth suddenly, looking like the jittery one now with a big clenched grimace on his face

“ALRIGHT alright, I don’t wanna make an old man grovel an’ cry! That ain’t a good feelin’, ya know?? We’ll just… set it aside fer now, eh? Cause first thing’s first; this place? Neither you nor I WANNA be here. See, I want out… and from what I can tell, yer the only guy who can do that! Whaddya say?”

Henry blinks at him for a moment before Bendy realizes he can’t quite speak and removes his hand dramatically, wiping it off for comedic effect making Henry smile a little again, but it quickly changes to a frown as he realizes the implication being given

“You mean...you know about the machine? And the Ink demon? All the people, the searchers, the ink- you want… to help? To change it? 

Bendy grimaces a little again, holding up and waving his hands at him now

“Woah woah woah- nobody said anythin’ ‘bout that! I just wanna leave- get outta this dingy place, y’know??”

Henry frowns a little at that, but furrows his brow instead, questioning;

“Can we even do that?... I mean, is there actually a way out?...”

Bendy closes his eyes, a smile now gleaming at Henry as he waves a finger at him again, seemingly in on something Henry wasn’t aware of

“Why Henry, you’ve been scrawlin’ on the walls about havin’ hope, right? You of all people should be full ‘a it, then, unless yer a hypocrite!”

Henry blinks a few times, looking dumbfounded

“How did you-?”

“Know ‘bout that? There’s a lot I’ve been witnessin’ since ya got here, old pal; I just haven’t been able ta say much ‘til now. I had my hands and tongue tied!”

Henry stares long and hard at Bendy, unsure what to think or believe at this point; could he even trust him? After all, even if he was telling the truth, he was _still_ a demon that was based around mischief… could Henry believe he truly wanted to help, or was this a ruse by the Ink demon? 

Once again, however, he takes a moment to remind himself that even if it was, the worst that could happen would be temporary ‘death’ if he could really call it that. It never felt good, but it wasn’t permanent at least. 

Sighing, Henry deflates a bit before nodding at the smiling demon

“Right… if you know what’s been going on, then you know what needs to be done i’m assuming? Before we get into that though, I just want a bit of a break first…”

Bendy tilts his head for a moment, looking much like an owl before he shrugs and walks past Henry to his old desk, patting the chair with a smile

“Then take a load off, pally; I’m in no rush yet! It’s not like the place is racin’ ta fall apart, or the less pleasant and not-as-pretty ‘me’ is ‘round right now. After all, yer old bones probably need a break, and not the ‘snapping them’ kind huh?”

Henry smiles again, walking over and slumping into the chair with a heavy wheeze, sinking against it; it may not be the most comfortable or sizable chair, but it was a place to sit down. Looking at his desk was also never tiresome from the nostalgia he always found in it, always tempting him to pick up a pen and draw again. He was considering actually doing so (if only for a bit), when he suddenly flinches from Bendy scrambling up onto the chair with him, plopping promptly into his lap all innocent smiles with his hands folded together. 

Giving Bendy a questioning look at first, Henry decides it wasn’t the strangest thing that’s happened to him; it might as well at this point.

“You comfortable there?...”

“Maaaybe…”

Bendy then chuckles at some joke Henry failed to see, but he doesn’t question it; instead, he picks up a fountain pen having decided to take up his idea of drawing. Instead of the typical black ink however, he decides to use his own as it was both more convenient and less offensive to him. The black ink usually left him uncomfortable to the point he didn’t want to touch it more than he had to. 

Pulling his own ink well from a pocket, he sets it on the desk’s convenient tool shelf before tapping on Bendy to get his attention making the little devil whip his head around to look up at him

“Hold this for me, will you?”

He promptly presses the looking glass into Bendy’s hands without waiting for a response, but the demon doesn’t seem to mind as an awed open-mouth smile shows he’s clearly enjoying the new ‘toy’. Looking around the place with it, Bendy seems to be having fun before Henry grips the top of it guiding and guides him to aim it at the work desk, revealing many different golden Bendy drawings nearly filling out the whole desk. In response, the little demon holds perfectly still, much to Henry’s relief as he happily views the drawings.

“Wow… ya sure are good at this drawin’ thing! Am I yer favorite ta draw?”

Henry smiles, starting a small sketch in a free space of Bendy holding the looking glass, feeling inspired by the curious demon

“Sometimes… you’re the first thing I really created that made it big, after all.”

Bendy smiles while holding the glass, watching excitedly as Henry scratches glowing gold lines onto the wood, forming the image before him. Bendy starts to bounce in his lap a bit then, making Henry have to pause and give him a questioning look

“Hey, calm down- what’re you so excited about?”

“I wanna try!”

“What? Drawing?”

“Yes! Can I? Can I, Can I?”

Henry can’t help but snort at that; Bendy was just like a little kid bothering a parent over something. He supposes in a way, Bendy might as well be his kid with their shared traits… an enthusiasm for the arts, an awkwardly persistent cheeriness even in the face of problems, and an apparently easy-to-approach demeanor. Huh... maybe Henry had put a little more _him_ into Bendy than he’d realized?

“Alright, fine. I’ll show you how, but only if you stop bouncing on and crushing my legs.”

“Okay! I’ll be a perfect angel, Promise!”

The little demon dramatically crosses over his heart while holding up his other hand, beaming at Henry who holds the glass now, taking out a second pen for Bendy. Looking at the glass, Bendy seems confused before looking to Henry again

“What’s that thing for anyways? It’s kinda heavy an’ annoyin’ ta hold up like that, ain’t it? Ya need glasses or somethin’ ta draw?”

“...What? No, it’s a looking glass… it’s the only way to see my messages; without it, nobody can see them.”

“What, ya mean the gold writing everywhere?”

Henry silently stares at him for a moment before questioning

“You... can see it? Without the glass?”

“Well, apparently that’s weird, but _yeah_. Ya mean nobody else can without that lookin’ glass?”

“No… not even me.”

“Oh...weird. Guess i’m just special!”

He chuckles at Henry, who just feels even more clueless, deciding it’s a mystery that will remain that for the time being; instead he tries step by step to show Bendy how to draw now. The small moment of respite feels rather charming and refreshing to him, as anything different from the grueling grind of the loop was far more than welcome- even if it meant mentoring a little demon on how to draw himself.

The way Bendy drew himself however… was… interesting.

“Bendy… that’s not how you look at all”

“Yes it is! I’m incredibly handsome and strong~”

“If you actually had muscles like that, I doubt anyone would find you charming as much as they do.”

“What?? Ya don’t think they’d like it if I had beef?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Pfft, fine. Ya took all of it anyways, but not in the _muscular_ way”

Bendy prods Henry in the stomach, prompting him to frown and look down at his gut before he looks at Bendy

“Just because i’m soft doesn’t mean i’m not strong. I could still crush you either way”

Bendy cackles, kicking his legs and nearly knocking the ink over prompting Henry to catch the bottle and reseal it with a sigh of relief, re-pocketing it.

“I’m just teasin’ ya, old man! I _know_ yer strong; I’ve seen ya fight nonstop since ya got here! Y’know, fer yer age yer pretty well off...”

Henry rolls his eyes at the comment, but smiles again while leaning back in his chair, admiring the charming contrast of his professional drawings to the happy scribbles made by Bendy. 

However, it strangely made his heart ache for some reason he couldn’t remember. It reminded him of a kid trying to mimic their parent… why did that feel so familiar? Having lost some of his memories, Henry wondered if there was something important he was missing from his old life… the emptiness suddenly left him feeling colder than the ink for once.

The feeling only lingered as Bendy had clearly caught on, the worry on his cartoonish face making Henry feel more somber. In response, the little demon questions;

“Henry?... What’re ya thinkin’? You were smilin’ a second ago, but now yer all sad, an’ it’s really bummin’ me out… that’s sayin’ a lot, ‘cause i’m a cartoon character meant to be uppity as a kid on a sugar high!”

Sighing, Henry places down his pen before gently taking hold of Bendy, lifting him to the floor as the little demon frowns the whole way down before Henry gets up himself with a grunt. Henry glances to the desk one more time, gently touching it before shaking his head

“It’s just… my memories. They’re a little messed up...”

Sometimes, he became aware something had gone missing, but not _what_ ; it was a lot like trying to separate ink from water with his hands, feeling so close but impossible to do. Regardless, it didn’t stop him from feeling the emotions those fleeting glimpses came with… and he wasn’t sure if he could even say all that to the little demon.

Bendy frowns up at him still before he shakes his head, putting his hands on his hips and rocking back and forth on the creaking floor

“Memories aren’t all that great anyways. Ya probably ain’t missin’ much... ‘sides, ya’ve been here so long, whatever it was is probably long gone!”

He smiles cheekily, clearly meaning it to be a joke, but instead Henry feels it sting; he was right. Whatever he was missing was likely long gone… but who had he left behind? What had happened to them? Had time passed normally for them while he was trapped here? If he ever escaped, would he even have something to return to? The thoughts terrified him, making him frozen in place before fingers snapping in his face pull him out of it.

“HEY! Don’t die on me now, old man! We haven’t even tried gettin’ out yet, an’ I still need ya! Clearly sittin’ ‘round here ain’t gonna fix anythin’, so why don’t we try movin’ this along and see where it takes us?”

Henry shakes his head a bit to clear his mind before giving a small nod

“Right- get things moving…”

Just like a rodent getting back on its wheel, he could only sit so long before he had to get back on track. 

Putting his hands on his hips now, Henry looks around the studio, taking it in one more time before making his way to the ink machine room. Bendy trotted after him now, seemingly way too energetic for the horrors awaiting them. Henry wonders if he had truly watched everything, because he’s convinced nobody would ever be so eager to dive into what he had to repeatedly go through. Then again, Bendy was Bendy; a darling devil with a penchant for deviousness, so it likely was well within his realm of things he’d be up for.

Hopping over the pipe, Henry watches as Bendy sprang over it effortlessly after him into the room where the machine was hiding, laying in wait to be raised yet again. 

Leaning over the rail a bit to try and see better, Henry flinches as Bendy jumps up and clings to the rail next to him trying to do the same, a hand held to his forehead over his squinting eyes as if it would make him see it better. Stepping back, Henry grabs the two dry cells and plugs them in before raising the ever ominous machine from the darkened depths of the floor, Bendy’s gaze following it up with a blank look that Henry wondered was either awe, disappointment, disinterest, or a mix as the machine clanked into view. Sighing, Henry puts hands on his hips.

“Well then... back to the old grind. let’s get this started, shall we?”

Bendy leans back from the rail while still holding onto it, smiling at Henry

“Kick-start an’ old machine, an’ turn runnin’ fer our lives? You bet!”

Henry can’t help but smile a little at that, even if it _was_ what was about to happen. Though he didn’t entirely trust Bendy just yet, the little demon was easily capturing his heart anyways; after all, Henry had a soft spot for him just like all his characters. The thought makes him wonder how he and Boris would interact…

Either way, it was time to move forward and find out.


	2. At the Drop of a Pen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter - Bendy and Henry start up the machine, some witty banter is shared in the process

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (No warnings necessary)

* * *

Completing the menial tasks to activate the machine was routine as usual, aside from Bendy’s commentary and fanatics making things ever slightly more difficult and delayed. Upon seeing the unfortunately dissected Boris, he had exclaimed “YIKES! Looks like he didn’t have the guts to stand up to the ink demon!” before cackling at the poor taste of a pun. As much as Henry hated to admit it, he almost snorted at the joke- partially from surprise, partially because it was just well timed.

Aside from that, the other typical surprises including the falling board and cardboard Bendys had long lost their effect on Henry. This time, however, his heart jolted hard when they caused his new devilish companion to yell suddenly and _loudly_ right next to him each time. Throwing a side glance to him, Henry received a disgruntled and clearly surprised look that almost said ‘I didn’t get scared!’ from Bendy.

Sighing and clutching his chest for a moment, Henry wondered how much worse the rest of this ordeal would be with the easily jumpy demon he had forgotten had the bravery of a newborn chicken. Not to mention how he’d react upon actually _meeting_ the other Bendy, who he was most certainly convinced wouldn’t care to spare even another version of himself- if they could even be compared. Regardless, they continued on, searching for what they needed and running around the empty halls.

Now having placed the items and restored the ink flow, Henry took in and released a heavy breath as his hand gripped the lever that would soon release hell upon him all over again. Each time he pulled it, he felt it got harder to do- almost as if each time he turned on the machine it made him weaker, taking a part of his strength. Henry knew, however, it was more likely his own hesitation to move into the horror again and not the machine. 

He looks aside to Bendy, who was distracted by looking at the doll of himself before turning on his heel to meet Henry’s eyes.

“What? Ya don’t gotta wait on me, i’m ready whenever you are old man!”

Henry gives him a skeptical look 

“You can _say_ you’re ready, but I don’t know if you can handle it…”

“What?! Don’t doubt me! I’ve been through hell ‘n back in a handbasket, just flip the switch already! A little bit ‘a ink never hurt nobody!.... Well… okay, maybe not true, BUT i’m sure we can handle it.”

Turning to look at the switch, Henry shrugs, guessing they might as well trudge on; plus, it would be interesting to see the two different Bendy’s collide. 

Yanking it down with a spark, the machine in the distance could be heard clunking to life as the pipes all leaked with the force bearing through them with their now active ink streams. Looking up for a moment, Henry wonders what being inside one would feel like before glancing to Bendy, who with obvious disgust was kicking away a bit of ink that dripped on his shoe. 

Now all that was left was to approach the machine, and inevitably be chased deeper into the inky hell of the studio…Bracing himself a little, Henry turns to the little demon

“Let’s do this.”

“Whatever ya say, old man!”

The walk to the machine felt like it was far too long, yet far too short at the same time. Just barely out of reach of the now boarded up ink machine entrance, Henry didn’t really want to edge closer, and Bendy clearly felt the same as he stuck by his side with no sign of a smile on his face. Apparently, he did know what was coming after all, which made Henry hope he would be keen on where to run once the chase began. He looks down at bendy now, questioning:

“What’re you thinking?”

“I’m wonderin’ how they boarded the door up that fast, an’ why.”

“You want to do it?”

“What?? No way! That’s _your_ job!”

Henry almost smiles at the humor of the situation, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t afraid; it always startled him every time, because no amount of repetition could prepare him for the violent anger with which the Ink demon threw itself at him each time they faced off. Bracing himself, Henry steps forward, but feels a tug on his pants that stops him and makes him look down to a visibly shaking Bendy

“H-Hey… M-m-maybe we don’t have ta do it? Right? We can just...stay here! Draw on the desks, a-an’ not piss off ink demons!”

Shaking his head, Henry finds himself gently comforting the little devil with a pat on the head; it makes Bendy close his eyes for a moment before pouting up at him. Giving him a sympathetic look, Henry couldn’t blame him for the reluctance.

“Sorry, champ. There’s only one way to go, and that’s through this.”

Swallowing nervously, Bendy lets go of him while looking down with clear upset, but Henry knew they had to move on; they couldn’t stay there forever. He knew because he’d tried already. Though surely he could sit indefinitely, it changed nothing and got very dull very quickly.

Walking forward now, he faces the boarded doorway waiting for the inevitable, knowing exactly what would happen. Despite it, he still seemed to never be prepared for it; the moment he reaches the boards, he’s face to face with the Ink demon who sends him reeling backwards into Bendy, who scrambles just as hard. Not hesitating, Henry turns heel and runs hoping Bendy was wise enough to follow suit; the sound of fast paced steps behind him proved as much. 

Breathing heavily, Henry wished there was some way to fight the demon back for probably the millionth time. It’d at least make him feel somewhat better if he could _try_ to stand up for himself against him at least once. 

Taking a chance to look back. he notices Bendy was falling behind having shorter legs than him. Exasperated, Henry painfully makes the split-second decision to slow down and grab up the little demon into his arms. The action places him uncomfortably close to the violent bursting pipes the Ink demon was breaking just behind them before Henry bolts fast as he can possibly manage, which sadly isn’t much faster. Heading for the exit instinctually, Bendy suddenly squirms in his arms yelling;

“WAIT!! IT’S NOT GOIN’ TA WORK! YA CAN’T GO THAT WAY!”

“Don’t have a choice! Even if I try to go anywhere else, he just blocks me in towards the exit; I’ve tried!”

An expression of horror on the poor devil’s face makes Henry almost forget his own fear to pity him instead, but the moment the floor gives way and they begin to fall, he’s yelling loud as he can. His yell is soon combined with the high pitched cry of his cartoon buddy who was clinging so tightly Henry almost can’t get the air to keep yelling on the way down. 

Above, the Ink demon stares after them growling loud frustration before slinking away, allowing them to fall. To the Ink demon, the extra ‘demon’ hopefully wouldn’t matter in the end, as everything was still following on script... for now.

Below meanwhile, Henry rolls himself midair to shield the little demon with his body from the quickly arriving collision with the inky floor he always somehow survived. In his arms however, Bendy was still struggling in protest

“WHAT’RE YA DOIN’?! STOP THAT!! I-I don’t want some old man sacrificin’ himself fer me! That’s messed up- Henry! HENRY- HENRY STOP!”

Despite the pleas, Henry merely holds him tighter, bracing himself before the impact briefly stuns him with pain and knocks him black.


	3. Old Occupants, New Perspectives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter - Henry wakes up after the fall, transitions from game chapter 1 to 2 with a brief glimpse of Sammy. More witty banter is shared

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (No warnings necessary, though I lied about each chapter having art; this one was just too dang short LOL)

* * *

The imagery flashed behind his eyes, blurry and almost too fast to make out- yet it was clear on what they meant to him. The ominous wheelchair that belonged to joey, the ink machine itself, and the Ink demon who constantly haunted him. Each one made his head feel like it was burning and splitting open, yet Henry couldn’t move or respond as the rumbling made his ears feel they would burst.

Groaning in pain, Henry opens his eyes to blurry dim vision before blinking repeatedly to clear it up. Somehow, he finds himself laying in the magic circle that typically made him blackout… had the fall done it this time? What was going on? As his vision clears, he’s relieved to see the little demon leaning over him, worried but safe. It seems he must’ve been reacting to the imagery after all.

“A-are ya okay?? You were twitchin’, a-an’ yellin’- usually that fall doesn’t take you out like that, right?? I thought I killed ya- I thought maybe my extra weight did ya in ‘cause ya just wouldn’t wake up, a-and I had to drain ink, and try to pull you around- which ya weigh A LOT- but I wasn’t gonna just leave ya an’-”

Henry returns the favor from earlier, and clasps a hand over Bendy’s mouth making him blink a couple times. 

Henry calmly addresses him now that he could hear himself think;

“I’m alright. I appreciate you worrying and doing all that for me, but you can calm down; even if it _had_ really hurt me, i’d just come back like nothing happened… it’s okay.”

Bendy nods, so Henry moves his hand, now groaning as he gets up while rubbing the back of his head and looking around

“Well… this place doesn’t get any less creepy than usual, that’s for sure…”

He looks to Bendy, who still looks fairly upset while clasping his hands together.

“...hey? What’s up?”

Bendy silently looks down kicking at the floor a bit

“...the coffins. There’s a lotta them, an’ these aren’t the only ones… they’re all kinda… y’know? I don’t think they deserved it…”

Henry stares silently for a moment, processing the fact that he should be just as upset- yet somehow, he had become numb to this fact, which, he realizes now, is rather scary. How could he just accept and be okay with this? Was he really growing apathetic from it all? 

The other difficult thing for him to process was the empathy coming from his little devil friend; He had written Bendy to be a mischievous yet friendly demon, but had forgotten as much thanks to the cruel relentless Ink version who had been tormenting him for so long. Simply put, the contrast was jarring.

“...No, they didn’t. I’m sorry little buddy…”

Before he can say anything else however, Bendy huffs stomping a foot and putting his hands on his hips and glaring up at Henry

“Who ya callin’ LITTLE?! I ain’t that small!”

Henry stares once more, caught off guard by the change in mood before he breaks into a smile; he can’t help it with Bendy, and it only prompts a continuation;

“HEY! Whatcha smilin’ about?! It ain’t funny, I’m not small!”

“Yeah, okay.. Sure you aren’t.”

Both of them pause for a long quiet moment before Henry tacks on,

“Short stack.”

Stamping repeatedly now, Bendy throws a small fit at him, huffing and puffing about being ‘low average’ which only amuses Henry more making him feel better. Walking over now, Henry scoops up the little demon into his arms to give him a tight hug which instantly quiets him. Bendy slumps then, still grumpy, but he clearly wasn’t fighting it this time. Pouting, he sighs in the grasp;

“...whatever. Let’s just keep goin’. An’ put me down, will ya?”

Henry sets him down gently, still smiling before he looks to the hatchet resting on one of the coffins waiting for him. Hefting it up into his hand, he silently assesses the blade before walking to the boards blocking their way, not bothering to question whether Bendy had brought it with them or not; it simply wasn’t the most important thing at the moment.

“Forward it is...”

Breaking his way through, Henry opens the door leading to the rooms just before the music department (Bendy happily chewing on the contents of a soup can he had eagerly snatched from the shelves). They both pause as the distorted inky figure of the man Henry still couldn’t entirely identify trudged by like clockwork just on time. Though Henry assumed he might be the old music director, he couldn’t exactly _ask_ the man… at least, he hadn’t tried. 

Once again failing to get said man’s attention, Henry sighs as Bendy swallows before trotting through the inky hall over to where he disappeared, looking around in confusion before seeing the ink stain on the wall.

“Hm. Gross! They just kinda _shlorp_ through the place, don’t they?”

Henry blankly stares at him for a moment

“....they _what_?”

Bendy snorts bacon soup onto the floor before swallowing so he doesn’t choke, laughing at Henry’s reaction

“They SCHLORP through the walls! Y’know, inkify! Squishify! Splorch around, seep, squelch, absorb-”

“OKAY, I get it. I more of didn’t know why you had to use that word, and say it like _that_ ”

Bendy snorts again, wagging a finger at Henry

“You know why! It’s _funny!_ ”

Bendy sticks his tongue out at him with a grin before tossing the now empty can over his shoulder looking at the wall once more.

“Wonder who that bozo even was anyways. Kinda creepy, wearin’ a cut-out of my face like that.”

It was now Henry’s turn to snort, as he knew they’d both have to encounter the ‘bozo’ in charge of the music department later; Then, Bendy could see just how creepy the strange man was.

“Well, it only gets worse from here… so let’s go”

“Gee.. I’m just full of excitement for what happens next, Henry. Thanks.”

Grinning with amusement, Henry flips the first of the three switches to power the doorway before looking to Bendy again

“You’re welcome”


	4. One Man’s Salvation is Another Man’s Headache

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing through the music department, Henry comes face to face with Sammy who after begrudgingly helping them explains occult notes Henry had never seen before; After some discussion and more begrudging, Sammy becomes a new addition to their 'party'. Bendy is useless the entire time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Warnings: Violence/Fighting, cult worship)

* * *

Walking around the music department, Henry was taking his time to do everything because he knew that once he powers up the place they’ll have to deal with more danger. The short lived respite before having searchers test his heart without warning was more than welcome, but he wondered if Bendy knew what was coming. The little demon had suggested he knew what typically happens, and managed to drag Henry with the axe to the magic circle earlier… but he wasn’t sure.

If He did, perhaps the little demon would be just as reluctant to throw the power switch. The persistent tapping of an impatient shoe however suggested otherwise, as always. Forward, forward, forward; it seemed Bendy was almost in a rush to get somewhere at this rate despite his previous statement of ‘no rush’. Sighing, Bendy gives him a look now;

“Yer stallin’. Why’re ya always doin’ that, huh? Not even just now, but each time ya go through the studio! Ya _know_ what’s gonna happen, ya do it, it happens! Are ya just _tryin’_ ta make me grumpy?”

Henry shakes his head, sighing at the impatient demon

“You know, I never took you for the impatient type, but I guess it makes sense to me now. If you really want to rush through this, you can be my guest and do it for me”

Bendy makes a face at the suggestion, not moving from his place

“I can’t.”

Henry found that response odd, and rather interesting.

“Can’t? or won’t?”

“Can’t. Y’know, as in, ‘not allowed to’? No permission? Banned, illegal, breaks the rules an’ all that?”

Henry raises an eyebrow at him now, not quite understanding; wasn’t the whole point of their team up to stray from the norm in order to derail the process from cycling again? Or had that just been Henry’s assumption, and Bendy was just hoping they’d ‘magically’ find a way out?... Sighing, Henry puts his hands on his hips

“Okay…by whose rules?”

Without hesitation, Bendy looks away blurting

“Ink demon’s. trust me…I’ve tried. It just…it doesn’t work, okay? So don’t make me try!... _please?_ ”

Henry was only left with even more questions than before, but he decides it’d be pointless and a bit rude to push him when he seemed so afraid. The stubbornness on the other hand was Henry’s fault, as it was one of the character flaws he had given Bendy; one he also had himself. 

Of course aside from that, the cockiness, slight narcissism, lack of bravery, and need for attention was some of many they didn’t share. In fact, they reminded him of a certain someone _else_ he knew too well... now, Henry was wondering if maybe he shouldn’t have given Bendy so many of their traits. But then again, he thinks he would’ve liked that less, as it was easier to write from experience.

Shaking his head of the frivolous thoughts, Henry finally responds

“Alright, I won’t make you do anything. Just… you know what happens when I turn on the power, right? You’re not going to like it, and you don’t really have a weapon.”

At that, Bendy blinks looking around at the currently dormant ink puddles before tapping his chin, squinting one eye shut in thought.

“hm… fair point. I have a solution though! Henry, flip that switch!”

Sighing, he does so to the grinning delight of Bendy. Suddenly, Henry finds the demon jumping onto his back now, clinging to him as searchers burst from the floor howling their hoarse cries. Pointing dramatically over his shoulder, Bendy cries back;

“GET ‘EM, HENRY!”

Of course. What else had he expected?

Fighting through all the searchers and going on a scavenger hunt for the keys that never had a set location, Henry found himself paused on the stage of instruments. They hadn’t seen a sign of the ink man from earlier yet, but he knew it was only a matter of time. Part of him worried how their interaction would change, but as he looks up at the cardboard cutout smiling down on them with Bendy still on his back, he gets a different idea.

“Hey Bendy, want to watch me play a game?”

“ohhh, I love games! What kinda game are we playin’?”

At that, Henry wastes his time playing with the projector until the stage was filled with the cutouts much to Bendy’s delight, and then disappointment as they move each time they attempt to get near them.

“This is stupid. I wanna touch ‘em!”

“trust me…you really don’t.”

“says you…”

Taking the time now to bother using the projector to actually try and unlock the… ‘sanctuary’ (that he really found quite sad and underwhelming), Henry watches Bendy happily jumping to the different instruments and messing with them, but at the same time, messing up the pattern.

“Bendy! I’m trying to do something here!”

“And I wanna play music! Why do ya get all the fun, huh?”

“Bendy-“

Ignoring him unsurprisingly, Bendy snatches up the violin from its chair, standing on it now while beaming a large grin at Henry

“Can ya sing?”

“wh- me? Sing? Hahaha, hahaha… no.”

Bendy makes a face of disappointment at him as he ‘tsks’ a few times before shrugging

“Guess _/I’ll/_ just perform fer ya then!”

Rolling his eyes, Henry leans his back against the wall below the banister from where the army of cardboard Bendys were silently watching. As the actual Bendy begins drawing out a captivating tune however on the violin’s strings, Henry finds himself engaged by the song, unintentionally tuning out their surroundings. 

Smiling with his eyes closed, Bendy began to sing; he had a natural affinity for any kind of musical talent thanks to the cartoons, and on top of it, the ability to capture anyone listening in an almost trance-like way. Henry realizes it’s a little too effective as he hears movement from above, his attention snapping away to look directly up at the inky figure who somehow hadn’t seen him below.

Leaning over the rail trying to get a closer look, the musician was clearly enthralled by the music; the moment is cut short however as the violin’s bow snaps, making Henry glance to Bendy who curses “FIDDLESTICKS”. Glancing back up, there was no sign of the musician anymore. It seemed he’d merely been interested in the music… or so Henry hoped. Moving off the wall now, Henry approaches the stage

“If you’re done having your fun, we have a ‘sanctuary’ to open.”

“ughhh, fine. You win.”

Plucking out the tune with the now running projector, Henry is quick to enter once the door opens to do what he needs to; he pauses at the doorway however, noticing something was different. This time, the musician was nowhere near the banister like he usually was to watch Henry panic and fight searchers. That’s when clattering chairs and the panicked yelling of his demon friend caught his attention- the searchers were swarming after the poor fellow instead of him.

“BENDY!”

Henry tries to rush forward, but gets blocked by two angry searchers causing him to swing his axe wildly, wanting to get to Bendy. When he defeats them however, the sight cleared before him baffles him completely along with what he hears;

“GET BACK! Don’t touch him! Your filthy formless bodies are not WORTHY!”

Before him, Henry can only stare as he witnesses Bendy cowering behind the musician himself, using the violin the demon had been playing earlier to violently take out any searcher daring enough to draw too close. 

Within moments they had been dashed with sad pangs of the violin’s strings, the last one dissolving away into a puddle. Henry attempts to speak, but merely stutters;

“Wh…who…why...”

Bendy blinks as the commotion dies down, his quivering state of fear replaced with an immediate beaming grin as he jumps off the chair he had been taking refuge on. Running past the inky man looking down at a puddle still, Bendy runs straight to Henry before jumping into his arms, causing him to stumble with a grunt.

“There were so many of ‘em, I thought I was a goner!”

Henry gently pats Bendy, still staring at the musician who finally turns his masked face towards them, the unnervingly worn look going right through him. Henry shakes his head, finally bringing up the question:

“Why did you help? Aren’t you supposed to be… the _bad_ guy?”

Sighing in disdain at the ruined violin, the supposed music director tosses it away carelessly behind him before dusting his hands and crossing his arms. His charmingly charismatic voice pipes up behind the mask, somehow not obscured by it

“I couldn’t let them harm him. Our savior is far above the grubby hands of these _sinners_. And as much as i’d be happy to watch them tear _you_ apart, I had to take action instead...”

Henry stares blankly, a common thing he finds himself doing lately thanks to Bendy. Bendy seemed to be enjoying his chaos however as he giggles chaotically in Henry’s arms while kicking his feet

“He means me! He yelled somethin’ like ‘my lord!’ all dramatic, then came in ta save me! Whatta hero~”

Immediately, the musician’s demeanor changes as if he turned into a whole new person

“Anything for you, my lord. I’m honored to have helped someone so gracious and powerful, giving me even a bit of your attention-“

Henry makes a face similar to eating something far too sour crossed with smelling something terrible at the same time. The only thing he found more unbearable than all the ink, repetition, and fear, was the _worship_. And lord, (not the ink demon he notes), was it especially unbearable from the mouth of this guy. Bendy continues to giggle like a kid however in Henry’s arms before beaming at him

“Why don’t _/you/_ worship me like that, huh?!”

“Because you’re a demon, not a god, and the last thing you need is your head to get any bigger-”

“How dare you!”

Henry blinks as he’s cut off by the musician, who now threateningly approaches him, making Henry instinctively back up from remembering the hatchet fight they’d typically end up having later on.

“How dare you insult our savior! He will be the one who sets us free, and removes us from this perpetual _hell_ \- and all you have to say are petty insults?”

Bendy snickers from Henry’s arms still, giving him a devious look of pure smug attitude. In response, Henry decides to defy the whole situation. He simply drops Bendy without warning to the floor with a following ‘ACK!’ and resounding thud. As if on a tripwire response, the musician tackles Henry right back without any warning, sending them both yelling and flying backwards to the floor. On the way down, he shouts at Henry;

“NOW you’ve crossed a LINE!”

“You’re completely out of your MIND!”

Henry wrestles with the angry ink man while Bendy gets up, dusting himself off and giving Henry a smug look once more 

“That’s whatcha get!”

Despite the attack however, Henry finds that the musician may be strong with a weapon, but without one… well, he currently had the man in a choke hold while he flailed his arms angrily. Henry thinks how the guy really isn’t all that built, his scrawniness reflective of the lack of true strength in him. Bendy pouts from nearby with unamusement as he’d realized his new ‘follower’ had almost no physical power over Henry.

Henry was still struggling somewhat to hold him however, so he finally tries to calm the man;

“Alright, alright- if you stop squirming and trying to _fight_ me, i’ll let you go. Got it?”

“ _You will face damnation for your sin- HRK_ ”

Henry had tightened his elbow around the man’s throat now (partially wondering if ink people even breathed), hoping he’d give in. At the very least, this way he didn’t have to hear him speak. 

Holding him for a good minute, he feels the musician starting to get more desperate before whacking at Henry’s arms letting out a choked “OKAY!”. Letting go of him finally, Henry gets up and backs away while giving him a look before the musician inhales deeply, holding his throat.

“You’re a barbarian, you know that?! Man-handling a _creator_ like some- some wild brute-”

“I’m a creator too, you know; the creator of ‘your lord’? _/I/_ created Bendy.”

At that, both the inky musician and Bendy turn to stare at Henry for a long moment before the musician questions:

“ _What?_ ”

“I said, I created Bendy. Joey probably lied to you and said he did, but it was really me.”

Sitting silently now, the musician’s gaze was starting to burn into Henry making him uncomfortable. Had Joey really have them believe otherwise? Or had they all just forgotten over time because of his absence? Or, the more likely answer, had the machine taken all their memories? Regardless of which however, the musician rises to his feet and grabs him by his shoulders suddenly making Henry flinch

“I KNEW IT! I _Knew_ that face was familiar! You’re that guy from the portraits in Joey Drew’s office! Whatever your name is…”

Henry furrows his brow, curious; he’d never really had a chance to _talk_ to this guy before…

“You saw pictures of me?... also, how do you know Joey? I mean- I’m assuming you worked here…”

Huffing, the man shakes his head

“Faded memories, mostly of his old office. He _was_ the boss…”

He trails off before letting go of Henry finally and holding up his hands to continue

“If you had a connection to the boss, then you must be a part of it all! This hellish mystery- and not just some obnoxious lost soul. You’re a cog, a key, in this whole mechanism of suffering… but now the _true_ question is, are you a _good_ part or a _bad_ part? And just _how_ are you related?...”

Henry slowly looks to Bendy as the musician goes on his tangent, raising an eyebrow to which Bendy winks in return, merely smiling at him. Henry looks back to the man, interrupting him then;

“Not to be rude, but… I don’t really know who _you_ are either, or what _you_ have to do with all of this besides being related to the music department. I… actually don’t have any more of a clue than you do about everything. My memories are a little… gone.”

At that, the man straightens up silently, assessing Henry’s words before speaking again

“Well... that’s rather unfortunate. I haven’t any memories myself before I was… _trapped_ in this inky horror. not even my own name… All I do know is that I will be the one to help the Ink demon set us free. Nonetheless, we might as well assume ourselves greeted at this point; no need to be enemies if you’re ‘friends’ with him”

Sammy gestures at Bendy then, who waves at Henry

“Either way, I suppose we can put aside our… differences for now.”

He offers a hand to Henry then, who hesitates; the inky musician always tied him up and tried sacrificing him… could he really trust him? Considering the alternative to accepting would probably be more violence, Henry sighs a little before taking and shaking his hand briefly.

“Right, well I at least have a name; I’m Henry.”

The musician releases his hand then, getting rather interrogative all of a sudden

“You say you _created_ him? Our savior? Are you responsible for _all_ of this, then? You better clarify before you give me anymore reason to justify potentially turning on you-”

Henry holds up his hands defensively now, nervous at the change in attitude

“No! I didn’t do this! Joey did! I’m just an old friend; I was his partner before all of this, but all I did was create the original Bendy cartoon then have my work stolen. It was just a cartoon!”

Bendy interrupts him with a huff

“Just a cartoon?! Wow, Henry, then you’re _just_ an old man who draws!”

He ignores the outburst from the demon, continuing to defend himself from the still hostile musician

“What i’m saying is true; I used to work here 30 years ago as the head artist and animator! I just… can’t remember much else, besides Joey making the machine. I don’t know anything after that though because I left, then showed up here somehow one day”

The musician stays in Henry’s face for a moment longer before leaning back now, deciding apparently he was telling the truth (to Henry’s own relief). Crossing his arms, the musician looks at him with a tilted head

“Very well; I’ll believe you for now, since I don’t have much frame of reference myself. Plus, you actually know your own name… that’s more than can be said for most here.”

The man sighs irritability then, shaking his head

“I still won’t trust you entirely, but I am curious as to your claim that Joey is responsible. Of course I know that myself, but if you weren’t here to see it, how can _you_ be sure?... Either way though, with our savior…”

Henry watches as he turns to Bendy then, who pauses mid biting on a can of soup he had found while they were talking, trying to open it

“Our Savior will set us free, and we will get our _revenge!_ It will be glorious, fulfilling, and wonderful- I shall be the shepard who heralds in our freedom by his side…”

Henry looks at Bendy again as the man preaches praises about him, staring at the little demon who was now rolling around trying very hard to pry open the can ridiculously.

“Mm-hm... I have a question for you- how… _exactly_ do you plan on having him save us? What is it exactly that you believe he’s supposed to do?”

“Why, use his boundless power to free us! He will cleanse the sin from all this _Ink,_ and restore the faithful!”

Henry puts a hand over his face, the other on his hip as he tries to comprehend what was being suggested.

“You… you think he has some kind of ‘holy magic’ powers that will fix this?”

“Well, perhaps not _holy_ so to speak, but certainly powerful. He had the power to bring himself to life, did he not? He chased the _wretch_ who did this to us away; he can free us!”

Sliding the hand off his face looking drained, Henry stares at the musician’s ink smile through the Bendy masks’ open mouth. Why, he wonders again, the mouth and not the eyes was beyond him.

“Look, I really don’t want to crush your hopes because hope is important, but uh… Bendy isn’t really.. Well, he can’t do that.”

“BLASPHEMY! He brought us back to life, he can restore us!”

Henry had flinched at the outburst of a response before he looks over to Bendy, who was now sitting in angry disappointment on the floor with his arms crossed, glaring down at the chewed up can that still wasn’t open.

“Listen… Bendy, _this_ Bendy, doesn’t have that kind of power. At least, not from what I’ve seen. And the Ink demon? Isn’t exactly our friend. No matter how much you ‘believe’, that demon has no empathy _or_ soul. It’s evil.”

Bendy looks suddenly very offended at Henry for whatever reason, likely his calling him out for not being powerful in front of his ‘follower’; the inky man however looked even more offended somehow

“Evil?! You’re a deluded sheep who cannot see his glory! He purges corruption, and punishes the sinful... perhaps you are just a mistake he’s working to erase”

Henry looks unamused before turning to Bendy

“Tell him.”

“Huh? What?”

“Tell him. How you know the Ink demon isn’t going to help, and only wants us dead”

Bendy stares at Henry for a long moment before slowly turning his gaze to the musician’s, who seemed almost anxious for the answer.

“...I can’t do that!”

“Why?”

“I like bein’ a little brat, not the guy who _breaks_ people’s _hearts_!”

Henry sighs, shaking his head before taking the can and opening it for Bendy; as the demon excitedly jumps up reaching for it however, he lifts it out of reach

“HEY! Give it!”

“No. Tell him the truth, then you get the soup”

“What?? Soup isn’t worth that!”

“Then why’re you still trying?”

Bendy glares at Henry with a huff before he looks to the musician with a pout, the man still eagerly waiting for his response.

“...I don’t have any powers.”

The musician silently looks down on him, about to respond when Bendy continues cutting him off

“I’m a dancin’ singin’ demon; that’s what I was meant ta be, that’s what I can do! I never had powers in the cartoons, so I don’t really… _have_ any. The Ink demon isn’t like me; he’s all.. Whacked up from stuff done ta ‘im.”

Henry and the musician both now look at him questioningly, glancing to one another before Henry asks

“What stuff? Is there something you know you’re not telling us?”

Bendy blinks, now looking like he was caught red handed as cartoon sweat beads fly off him and he tugs his bowtie

“What? Me? Hidin’ somethin’? No way!”

“Bendy.”

“Alright, alright! While snoopin’ ‘round I just. Heard some tapes ya never found about what Joey did ta make the Ink demon… just… he ain’t right. Don’t push me about it, I don’t like talkin’ ‘bout it…”

Henry _was_ about to press more, but the musician holds a hand up in front of him

“You mean the tape recordings? I’ve listened to many of them, including the ones that clearly have my own voice, but none of them spoke of the Ink demon…”

Bendy helplessly holds his arms in a shrug posture, not wanting to speak before Henry snaps his fingers startling both of the other two before he addresses the inky musician

“That’s it! You said the recordings sound like you- that’s why _you_ seemed familiar too! I don’t know why I never connected that before… man, I feel a little dense now. In one of them I heard a name mentioned, but what was it?...”

The musician, to the relief of Bendy, turns his full attention on Henry now as he was excited to know anything about himself

“What?? What was the name? I _need_ to know!”

Henry puts a hand on his chin in thought, walking past them now towards the main music studio area. He wanted to check the board with records and names of people from the department, and it wasn’t long before his eyes settled on a specific title… the music director. _He_ was the one from the recordings.

Having followed him from behind, the musician presses him

“Well? Do you know??”

“...I think you’re the music director. You’re Sammy Lawrence; does that sound right?”

Paused now, the man seems to be thinking deeply before he grabs Henry by his shoulders again

“Sammy! That’s my name! I remember now; I made the most wonderful music, and _really hated my job_ \- oh. Oh dear…”

He backs away from Henry now, almost into Bendy who had been walking in. 

“Are you alright?”

“I… yes. Just a bit of a headache; I can’t remember anything else right now, but… I have a name. That’s what matters. Perhaps it’s just best… we discuss the problem at hand instead for now.” 

Sammy turns to look down at Bendy now, prompting Henry to do the same; in return, the demon just blinks at them in confusion

“Bendy is supposed to be our savior, to free us; that’s what the book said. What’re we going to do now if what you say about his lack of power is true?”

Henry tilts his head, giving Sammy a questioning look

“Book? _What_ book? Do you have some kind of… Bendy _bible?_ ”

Sammy snorts at him as if the notion were any more ridiculous than the fact he was clearly worshipping a cartoon character like a god. Not to mention he’d only just remembered his own name. 

“No, not at all. It’s a book written by the foul hands of that _Drew_ who did this to us, but it entails what he learned about our savior and what potential he will bring… The man surely was out of his mind, but on the right track nonetheless. The Ink demon _can_ still save us- even if you don’t believe me. Belief is after all is only half the battle, my friend.”

He then produces said book from inside his own torso, causing both Henry and Bendy to twist their faces in disgust before he offers it to Henry. Reluctantly taking hold of it, Henry recognizes it as a copy of the same book that had been used as a key to turn on the machine; ‘The Illusion of Living’ by Joey Drew. Flipping it open and skimming some random pages, he looks at Sammy with blatant confusion

“Why would you read this if you know and hate Joey, no less believe anything in it?”

Sammy scoffs as if Henry was asking the obvious

“Because I wanted to know _something_ , and what better way to do that than through reading? Also, this book in particular has handwritten notes that are particularly interesting; extra details you won’t find in any other copy...”

Curious at the mention, Henry opens the book again, taking a longer moment this time to see handwriting he recognized all too well scrawled on the inside. The note he had found read: ‘Certain parts still needed; Ink must flow freely, otherwise risking corruptions. New Nozzle?’. Next to it, Henry read a small passage about ‘spiritual flow’ from their world to the ‘other world’, whatever that meant. 

“I don’t understand… how did you _find_ this??”

“Simple; I stole it from his office. He wasn’t around to use it anymore anyways…”

Henry pondered that; would Joey really so carelessly leave something this important behind? What had happened to him- where had he really gone?... Looking up at Sammy, his face must have looked rather confused as Sammy holds his hand out for the book in response

“Here; i’ll show you what I mean.”

Handing over the book, Henry glances over to Bendy, who was holding the second emptied can over his mouth and shaking it vigorously to get the last bit out. The demon turns his own attention to Sammy then as said musician shoves the book almost right in Henry’s face, pointing at a page.

“Here; his book discusses ‘other worlds’. Of course it’s written theoretically, but he truly believed in them, and I believe we have reasonable cause to do so as well seeing our… situation. These ‘other worlds’, or dimensions, are connected to normal reality through seemingly normal things; our cartoons, for one thing. We’re actually connected to not just another plane, but a plethora of multiple _thousands_. Whether we created them or not is a whole other philosophical dilemma we don’t need right now, so let’s just focus on the fact there _are_ other dimensions and we’re _in_ one.”

He then turns the pages, tapping on a drawing of the Ink demon for Henry

“Here, he writes about ‘entities’ referred to as ‘keys’; they’re beings in these alternate dimensions with power strong enough to actually _tamper_ with them, and even move _between_ them; can you believe that?? It’s incredible, and exactly what the Ink demon is!”

He turns the page then to a bunch of drawings obscuring the text of theorized ‘keys’, at least from what Henry could tell

“These key entities have quite a bit of power beyond that even, possessing strange capabilities most others don’t have. In the Ink demon’s case, he was theorized to have been born _without a_ soul; something it seems wasn’t supposed to be possible, at least not in our own dimension“

Nearby, Bendy finally stopped fiddling with the can to make a bit of a face at Sammy, something crossed between concern, curiosity, and... sadness? Henry wasn’t sure; his cute features could be hard to read at times, as they made rather simple expressions. Sammy continued speaking regardless, nearly pushing the book into Henry’s face again, who puts a hand on it to move it a bit away

“So you see, Henry, the Ink demon _will_ set us free! He has to! He’s the key that locked us away in this- this Inky _Hell_ in the first place, so he’s the one who can return us home! He can let us out of this cage, and we will be free, returned to our home…so he has to be our savior!”

Henry shakes his head, still not looking all too convinced; if anything, the Ink demon _wanted_ them to stay here and suffer eternally it seemed. Next to them, Bendy hops beside Sammy, pulling his arms down to see the book himself in awe

“Really?? He can do that? Then we really can go home!.... But… how?”

“Also, how would you _convince_ him to let us out anyways?” Henry added;

Sammy lowers the book more for Bendy to happily look over while speaking with a smile

“We believe in him, to answer both of you. I have faith he knows how, and will relinquish us from our torment; at least those who have not sinned… all we have to do is appease him.”

Bendy looked unsatisfied with the answer however, snatching the book from Sammy finally to look through it while speaking

“But what if he doesn’t? What if he needs help, ‘cause he actually hates this place and is takin’ it out on everyone ‘cause he doesn’t know how ta get home?”

Sammy seemed concerned at Bendy’s persistent questions and theory, putting a hand to his chin in thought

“Then… well, I suppose we’d be in a difficult spot. Joey Drew seemed to have found a way himself to activate the key entity’s ability through a machine, but the result was...this. Forcing the ability only twists and mangles everything; it is the most sinful thing to force another unwillingly into actions they did not consent to...”

Henry thinks how that would actually make sense; it explained the Ink demon’s hatred at least. The idea of Joey pulling the Ink demon unwillingly out of its home through a horrifying machine and squeezing it out into another reality… how on Earth did he think that wouldn’t have gone wrong?

Bendy looks up at Sammy now, frowning

“What good does all yer appeasement and belief do anyhow? I’m pretty sure the Ink demon ain’t exactly the kinda guy ta go grantin’ favors ta anyone...”

Sammy chuckles and crouches in front of him now

“Why, that’s the point; if the Ink demon finds favor in one of us, then perhaps he’ll be convinced to help. The ability is there; he just needs to know it, and have a reason to use it for us. Therefore… belief! ‘Appeasing the Gods’, as one might say...”

Henry hated to admit it, but Sammy’s religious attitude for the Ink demon was starting to seem at least a little logical. He had a sort of proof that there was indeed a way for the Ink demon to free them, as well as a somewhat logical reason to ‘worship’ him, hoping it would help the demon free them. 

Henry thinks how all this time, everyone had mostly assumed Sammy was just a blind worshipper; but perhaps what he _really_ worshipped was self preservation. All of it was an attempt to free _himself_ , regardless of anyone else from the sound of it. Now that, Henry thinks, made more sense than the music director truly worshipping something he once loathed.

Picking up Bendy now, Henry holds him close, glad that this time Bendy didn’t fight or protest against it, and instead simply held onto Henry’s shoulders while looking at Sammy. Turning to the musician himself, Henry sighs

“Either way, we shouldn’t stand around here forever. We need to keep going if we’re going to get anywhere. Also, to convince the Ink demon to be our… ‘key’, we’ll need to find more information which is bound to also be in Joey’s office, which happens to be a _long_ way from here…”

Sammy gives him a questioning look then

“Are you...suggesting I come _with_ you? As in, follow you around doing.. Whatever it is you’re doing?”

Henry nods, remembering then that only he and Bendy were aware there was a loop at all; each time, nobody remembered any previous interaction but him, and apparently Bendy.

“Ah...right… I should _probably_ explain something so you better understand what i’m asking… we should probably sit down first though. Just in case.”

Having gone back to the music room stage, Henry was now sitting with Bendy in his lap while Sammy sat across from them. 

“Look; I’m going to need you to suspend some of your belief for this, though perhaps you’ll be open to it… I’m going to tell you some disturbing things, and I need you to take my word for it. Are you willing to trust me?”

Sighing a bit, Sammy shrugs slightly

“I suppose… I’ll have to hear what you have to say first though.”

Henry explains the loop then, along with everything he’d gone through each time and how it started him over repeatedly. He also takes the time to explain Sammy’s unfortunate fate with both the Ink demon and their later battle, which always ended with an axe to his head. 

Sitting with his hands steepled together, Sammy was clearly not quite pleased; he speaks after a long pause though

“You mean to tell me… each time I did the same thing of trying to sacrifice you like I was planning on doing… our lord would always assault _me_ instead, and you would run away doing a whole trail of meaningless tasks? Then all those other events happen until I try to kill you again, only to get axed... but in the end, you _never_ die? And yet, neither does our lord? What does it all mean?...”

Henry sighs, rubbing a temple as Bendy kicked his feet, being surprisingly quiet for once.

“First of all, please stop calling him _our_ lord; I don’t worship him, and never will. Second, don’t try to think about it too hard; I’ve tried to make sense of it but, it just never does. It always feels like I’ve won, but it just restarts. And no, I never really die or ‘lose’”

Sammy sits up straighter, gazing silently at Henry, then to Bendy who stares right back at him before slowly sticking his tongue out for no reason other than to be cheeky.

“...very well. I can’t make any sense of it either, but I suppose rather than sit around and let myself be destroyed… I will follow you. HOWEVER,” 

He stands so suddenly his chair gets knocked back

“ _/If/_ you are _lying_ to me, I _will_ come back with a VENGEANCE. And I won’t get axed for it, either; i’ll make sure you _pay_. Otherwise… where shall we be off to next?” 

The swing in Sammy’s demeanor made Henry wonder if the man had been an actor before music or something, but he nods despite it, getting up and lifting Bendy with him who gives a small ‘huhp’ sound having not expected it.

“If you’re coming, we’re going to meet up with an old friend of mine. But before we can do that…”

Henry couldn’t even finish his words as Bendy cuts him off, cringing in his arms

“URRRGH noooo! I don’t _want to!_ ”

“We don’t have a choice; it’s necessary to continue.”

Sammy looked lost, and was about to ask before Bendy cuts in again

“I don’t like it!! When he chases us, _bad things happen!!_ ”

Sammy seems to finally catch on then, holding up his hands

“You don’t mean provoking the Ink demon?!”

Henry sighs, nodding back

“Yup, we have to. It’s the only way to move forward.”

Both Bendy and Sammy seemed to be on the same page now (unfortunately for Henry), as neither wanted to deal with the Ink demon. Sammy possibly had a better reason as he press Henry;

“What if he kills me again?? Is that necessary to move on?”

“I don’t... think so? I think we just need to be chased by him? And if not, well… I guess we’ll find out”

Sammy did _not_ seem pleased with that answer, but Bendy was amused at the musician’s misfortune; either he would get chased by an angry deadly demon with them… or die. Not exactly anyone’s dream choice. Sighing dramatically with defeat, Sammy slumps forward

“...fine. Since we have _no other option_. But again, if you’re lying to me-”

“Yeah yeah, damnation, vengeance, i get it- let’s just get this over with so I can meet up with my friend. I have hope for him this time...”

Bendy shakes his head at him, tsking audibly

“I wouldn’t, but… whatever suits you old man”

Henry furrows his brow, not liking Bendy’s negative attitude towards Boris’ fate. Arguing with him would be rather pointless however, especially when they now had to somehow provoke the Ink demon and get away…

Looking up at the speakers now, Henry sighs softly

“Well… time to anger your ‘lord’ again…”

Henry couldn’t see behind Sammy’s mask, but deep down he knew the music director was making a face of disdain.


	5. Can the Real Prophet Please Go Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After an awkward silence in the safehouse having met up with boris, henry decides to take a nap only to find himself having nightmares. Running ahead to heavenly toys, an encounter with the ink demon leaves them shaken but they forge ahead to the waiting tune of a certain impatient angel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Warnings: Nightmare imagery, uncanniness, slight horror)
> 
> Note: After this initial posting of the first 5 chapters you can expect a schedule of 1-2 weeks processing for each consequent chapter due to editing and drawing required for each. I'll try to keep on a schedule but life is unpredictable- I can't expect to always be on time so I apologize in advance for any potential wait that may occur!

* * *

Now sitting around the small table in the safehouse, there were four faces silently and very awkwardly staring between one another. It was difficult for any of them to find what to say, especially Boris, who couldn’t speak anyways. Currently, Henry, Sammy, and Bendy were disheveled due to a short but violent chase from a very upset Ink demon. Apparently becoming allied with his ‘prophet’ only made him much angrier for some odd reason. Either way, Boris hadn’t been expect so many of them, and nearly ran away at their first meeting.

Speaking of, Henry glances to said wolf who merely stares back at him. Heaving a sigh, Henry lays his head on the table while folding his arms over it

“Look… I know it’s a little awkward for everyone, but this is what we’re being dealt. Can we just… not make it so awkward?”

The continuing silence suggested otherwise.

Henry keeps his head down as he goes over the events than had transpired in his mind again; It all started when they decided to provoke the demon like Sammy had many times before, but this time, it was much worse. Not having something to attack and gnaw on, the Ink demon seemed angrier than usual when chasing them; it had even let out a sound Henry felt his skin prickle at the mere thought of. Also, it had made the music director scream rather comically thinking back on it.

Aside from that, it had been truly terrifying as the three of them had to book it while avoiding ink, wood boards, and angry searchers- all while the Ink demon was right behind them. The sound of his clawing was still clear in Henry’s mind. To make it all worse, Henry also had to carry _both_ Bendy and Sammy, because neither of them wanted to touch the ink for fear of being pulled in. That, he thinks, was definitely worse than it had been before.

Then there was Boris, who upon reaching their usual meeting point had gotten so startled and scared of Sammy and Bendy, it had taken what felt like an hour to convince him they weren’t evil and going to hurt him. Henry wondered if it was more over Bendy than anything, who happened to be a less scary version of the Ink demon that Boris clearly feared more than anything.

Either way, they had at least gotten to the safehouse, but since have been awkwardly waiting for someone to suggest what would happen next. Naturally, all eyes fell on Henry, but for once he couldn’t suggest anything other than a shrug which had resulted in the now rather awkward staring contest. What Henry wouldn’t give for someone to break the tangible awkwardness…

“So… how’s it goin’ Boris?”

Bendy, attempting to say anything, just made it feel worse. Henry slowly looks up to Boris now, who was looking the demon in the eye silently from the outside. However, there was something strange about his demeanor; without speaking audibly, Boris managed to convey quite a bit just by looking at someone...

‘ _How’s it ‘goin’? I’ve been running and hiding from a REALLY scary messed up /you/, and all you have to ask is ‘how’s it goin’’?! … …. ... well, I guess it could be worse actually; thanks for asking’_

Bendy snorts, standing up in his chair now smiling at Boris

“See? That’s what we all need; some humor! Nothin’ like a sense of humor ta lighten a tough crowd!”

Sammy and Henry look at one another, in what Henry assumes was intended to be a shared look of mutual disagreement about the situation. Or, perhaps confusion, because it was possible Sammy couldn’t understand Boris at all. Then again, with a face both covered in a Bendy mask and made of ink… who knew what the guy was thinking. 

Henry sits upright then, deciding to speak himself

“Alright; it’s clear that things are… unusual to say the least, but we’re all here to work together. I know you don’t typically feel so comfortable with strangers Boris-”

“Hey! Boris knows me! Who doesn’t know lil ol’ me?”

“-but they’re going to help us. Right now though… I think I need another break. We should stay here for a bit and get our bearings- things aren’t quite right, and i’d like some time to think on it. And while we’re at it, maybe even sleep on it… I think I’m going to take a nap. If you can help it… please don’t wake me unless someone is dying, about to die, or the Ink demon is here.”

Henry really wanted to take a small moment to himself as all the new additions were making him a bit anxious, not to mention what it could mean. So many things were plaguing him, like where Bendy came from and why now? A moment alone would help him try and think it out… plus, he got tired rather easily.

Sammy holds out a hand as Henry starts getting up however, exclaiming,

“WAIT!! Y-you’re just leaving me to sit here with a mute wolf and cartoon demon?! What am I supposed to do??”

“Well, for one thing, I figured you love Bendy so much you’d love spending time watching him for me. And Boris is good company; he’ll listen to anything you say, play some games, and keep you from feeling lonely. As for something to do… I guess anything you can in here, but quietly. I’d suggest using Joey’s book to try and find more answers maybe...”

As Henry starts heading for the bedroom area, he hears Sammy stuttering behind him;

“B-but- Henry, wait- Henry!-”

Before letting Sammy continue, Henry shuts the door, heaving another sigh to himself; this time, he was glad for a moment of respite alone. He could still hear Bendy’s muffled laughter however as the demon was clearly going to torment the poor music director whom Henry almost felt sorry for despite their shaky past conflict... Almost.

Moving over to the cot that they had for a bed, he settles down slowly with a grunt as his body ached; whether from age or exhaustion, he wasn’t sure. All he did know was things were likely going to be much harder with this run of the loop… if it could be called that. He wasn’t sure if it would just repeat on itself again, or if something was going to be different… if they were lucky, they’d hopefully even be freed this time.

Closing his eyes now, Henry listens to the quiet murmured speech between the musical voice of Sammy and higher pitched cartoon one of Bendy, nearly muted by the clicking of the clock on the wall. Listening to the almost metronome rhythm of the clicks, Henry feels himself falling slowly into sleep; a darkness that wasn’t as harsh as the ink thankfully.

-

A smiling woman in front of a house... she seemed so happy, but her face was blurred out… who was she? Why does she bring strong feelings of warmth, yet such a cold sadness? An echo of children’s laughter behind her brings an even deeper ache, almost incomparable to anything…

A blink, and there’s a desk covered in papers with all kinds of sketches and lines. They’re all so dynamic, so fresh, and full of love… he could feel a sense of pride and passion, and faith it would be something big. Something that would change his life. But his pen is falling… where was it going?

Reaching for the pen, his hands pass through a black cold veil; nothing is visible. Walking forward, there was whispering… so many voices, but where were they? Where did they go? Didn’t this place used to be full of life? Distantly, a light slowly comes closer.

The light reveals a room, and a machine shining ominously with some dormant power nobody really understood. A man was smiling at him, the words ‘welcome home’ coming from him, yet his mouth didn’t move; nor does he. Suddenly, a force was pulling him towards the machine.

Panic taking over, everything else was numb; the machine’s receiving end gaped like an endless void, threatening and breathing inward, forcing him closer. No chance to escape, he can’t move away from it- it was his fate.

Falling, pulling, crushing, so much force there’s no ability to breathe; muffled cries of fear, pain, and desperation were lost as everything forced forward. The force became so great, it seemed everything would cease to exist before a cold darkness fills everything. Then…

...nothing. Silence, cold, quiet.

It was almost peaceful, a lot like the silent embrace of death… but it didn’t last.

Bursts of screams, cries, and voices flooded from everywhere taking over; it was too much. The need to escape was overwhelming. Clawing viciously, he tried to get away; why were they here? Why was this happening? Where _was_ here?

Suddenly, he takes a breath in as his eyes opened to the studio. A voice echoes once more, but from his own mouth he can no longer control:

“Alright, Joey. I'm here. Let's see if we can find what you wanted me to see."

-

Eyes snapping open, Henry felt himself shiver for a moment as his heart beats hard and fast; he’d been dreaming. It had been another nightmare that felt so real yet not at the same time… thankfully, it wasn’t. At least, as far as he could tell. Half of the time it felt like Henry was trying to remember something, but as always, it was just out of reach. Were his dreams part of his subconscious trying to remember something?

No matter what he’d tried, he never seemed to grasp more than shadows of his past here; whatever he’d once known was drifting further from him the longer he stayed in the studio. On the one hand, it was unsettling and worrying, but on the other… well, it’d help him move on perhaps?

Puffing a breath, Henry simply lays in silence trying to assess what he’d dreamt. That is, until he notices a warm weight on his chest…

Glancing downward, he finds Bendy was partially curled and clutching on to him, fast asleep by the looks of it. The sight, though a bit odd at first, was strangely endearing; perhaps it was sign of trust from the little demon? 

The thought that his own creation not only seemed to like his company, but didn’t want to hurt him like the Ink demon gave Henry a strange sense of comfort. The last thing he’d expected was for Bendy to seek him out after growing tired, but it made Henry wonder just how much time had passed since he’d fallen asleep for that to happen… especially when Bendy seemed to be a ball of energy. 

Gently wrapping his arms around him now regardless, Henry closes his eyes again, simply breathing and listening to the clicking of the clock in an attempt to stop his heart from racing. 

Focusing on his senses, Henry notes he can feel the little demon breathing on his chest… yet, he didn’t seem to have a heartbeat of his own. He wondered if it meant anything significant- was it simply a demon thing, or was he that small? Alice had clearly proven Boris had a heart… so why didn’t Bendy seem to? The little demon was still warm and breathing, so he was alive… just... missing a heart? What _was_ he?

So far, Bendy had proven to be nothing like the Ink demon, who was full of hatred and malice- instead, he was helpful, worried, and empathetic. It was as if the two were true polar opposites, making Henry wonder where the little demon curled up on his chest even came from… 

Re-opening his eyes slowly, Henry looks down on him once more as he ponders about the sleeping demon. A more obvious question he should’ve asked sooner crept into his mind then- why on _Earth_ was he _sleeping on him?_

Making a face of utter confusion now, Henry glances around the room for a moment before settling his attention back on Bendy, wondering if Sammy had wanted to get the demon away from him and sent him off… or, perhaps it was the other way around? Maybe even Boris had something to do with it? 

Either way, Henry decides it wouldn’t be worth fussing or worrying over; it might as well happen at this point, considering everything else that already had… than, and he wanted to sleep a bit more. His body was still being weighed down with exhaustion (aside from Bendy’s weight), meaning he either hadn’t slept much since this predicament, or he hadn’t slept well. 

Closing his eyes one more time with a deep breath, Henry lets the darkness of sleep settle over him again. It was a lot like sinking into the ink, but in a less scary and more pleasant way.

-

_“...There is no escape. This purgatory Hell will keep us trapped for eternity. It is what he wants… and he is the one holding the key. The key to the machine- the very key that induced our suffering, and ever yet still does. There’s only one way in… and no way out. His efforts are futile. He will fail, and ultimately when he does…_

_...he will fall. You both will. You know this.”_

Confusion settled over Henry, who wasn’t sure who was speaking; the voice was deep and distorted, easily described in one word: demonic. It certainly wasn’t his, but it seemed to be coming _from_ him?

His vision was obscured and in black and white grain- almost like an old cartoon’s lens that made it difficult to see anything. Yet, he could make out an ink flooded hall that he was lurching through with an almost struggling limp, its walls coated in equally thick ink reflecting dim light. He could feel himself moving forward, trudging through it with a struggle and a cold determination. Yet somehow… it wasn’t him doing it, nor his feelings and thoughts. What was happening?

Pushing further, he feels his legs free up from the ink with a splash and heavy step onto the solid floor… yet his left leg seemed to stick to it, melting against it almost. Looking down for a moment, Henry catches a glimpse of what looked like a deformed inky limb that most _certainly_ was not his. This was only further confirmed as he feels his body turn to a nearby window in which the reflection staring back was none other than the twitching, menacing smile of the Ink demon. Shakily holding himself before the image, the sight made Henry’s blood turn to ice.

_“You cannot run forever, and you cannot hide. There is no escaping this wheel, as we run it time and time again… we all will go through it no matter what you do. It is simply how it is, and ever shall be…”_

Reaching an inky right hand out to the window, Henry feels the palm press firmly against the glass with a solid pressure. As it slides down, the inky hand reveals a startled and very scared looking face Henry realizes was his own staring back now, blinking and unable to move with the Ink demon’s reflection looming as if he were physically behind him

_“You cannot shelter him forever… he will find out the truth sooner or later. Then we will find you both. And when we do… well, I don’t believe I need explain that part. As for /you/... I do believe you are aware of the phrase ‘wandering is a terrible sin’? I wouldn’t stray this far for too long if I were you… Henry”_

-

Gasping with a start once more, Henry sat up without hesitation, clutching a hand to his chest feeling his heart racing again as if he’d never calmed down in the first place. Slowly, he moves his hand up over his face to his head and into his hair, staring at the wall before him. He then blinks and realizes an equally startled looking Bendy was staring from the side at him, no longer on him or the cot, shaking visibly. Clenching a handful of hair for a moment, Henry closes his eyes trying to calm himself before letting go and turning to address Bendy

“I think I just… had a nightmare. I don’t really know-”

“I’m sorry”

Henry blinks again, staring at the demon who now looked to be on the verge of tears.

“...Sorry? What?- You didn’t do anything-”

“I didn’t mean to! I-I didn’t _want_ to, I just- I’m sorry, I don’t know how or why…”

“Woah woah woah, slow down bud; what’s going on?”

Henry turns himself fully now so that his legs were over the side of the small cot, leaning forward so he can gently hold the demon by his shoulders and look him in the eye

“Calm down; we’re okay. It’s alright.”

“It’s not okay! He’s gonna find us! All because ‘a me!”

Frowning, Henry pulls Bendy into a tight hug as the little demon shakes, clinging back in return and crying. Gently comforting him, Henry tries to get him to calm down enough to speak properly; if they really were in danger, he needed to know right away

“Bendy, listen to me… I need to know what’s going on, because if something’s wrong I need to know. What happened?”

Wiping his eyes now and frowning at the floor, Bendy was silent for a moment before he sniffs and looks up at Henry again

“I-I… I accidentally c-connected you… to _him_. I-I didn’t think I could...”

“Wait- You connected me to the _Ink Demon???_ ”

Bendy looked ready to burst into more tears, so Henry forcefully keeps his composure, pushing down the shock and fear

“Okay; we can discuss that later, but right now, does he know where we are?”

Bendy nods, rubbing his eyes more

“H-he saw. Through my eyes. I didn’t mean to, but I couldn’t stop him…”

Picking up Bendy into his arms now, Henry grabs up the bone next to the chest before promptly shoving the door open to the main room where he finds Boris and Sammy both standing and clutching the chairs they had been sitting in. The room was already shaking as the Ink demon’s shadows crept over the walls, the frightened music director piping up rather shrilly;

“ _WHAT’S HAPPENING?! HOW DID HE FIND US?! WHAT DO WE DO?!-_ ”

“No time to explain right now; Ink demon’s coming, we have to _move!_ This has never happened before so I don’t know what to expect, but we have to go!”

Boris was already bolting for the door with the lever, this time not waiting for some soup before jamming it back on and looking to Henry who nods before thrusting open the door. Turning, Henry addresses the frightened music director;

“Sammy, grab whatever you need because we’re not coming back. Boris, here;”

He tosses the bone, which Boris catches in his mouth happily despite the circumstances before all four of them rush off into the darkness ahead, Henry snatching the lamp to guide them along the way through the maze of rooms. Hopefully, he thinks, the Ink demon would be too busy searching the previous area and potentially getting lost to find them right away giving them enough time to escape. Or, at the very least, enough time to find a miracle station further away that he prayed the four could all fit into; finding one at all in this situation would be its own miracle, however.

Finally getting out of the cramped darkened halls to the dead end door, Henry hands the lamp to Boris before holding up a hand to keep them all quiet. Silently listening, he could feel his blood rushing with the sound of his heart beat making it difficult to tell if the Ink demon is nearby. After what felt like an agonizing silent eternity of a few minutes however, there was no sign of the Ink demon chasing them; in response, Henry exhales with some relief.

“Okay… I think we’re away from him for now, but we can’t stay put in any one spot for too long. At least not until we find somewhere else we can hide...”

Sammy was attempting to open the locked door, tsking at him

“Well, this door is locked; what’s the plan now, mr.’all knowing’?”

“Boris, could you help out?”

The quiet wolf nods, first giving a nervous glance in the direction they’d come from before surprising Henry with a small hug (accidentally hugging Bendy in the process who squirms with a small ‘Hey!’), then heading for the vent. Watching him crawl into it, Sammy puts a hand on one hip shaking his head

“I wouldn’t go into a dark cramped place like that even if you paid me...”

Henry sighs, shaking his head

“Thankfully, we just have to wait here a moment…”

Looking to Bendy in his arms now, Henry figured it was as good a time as ever to get some answers.

“Bendy… what happened? You said you connected me to him… but how? Can you explain?”

Sammy turns his interest to them now, seemingly curious on the subject as well. Bendy blinks in return at Henry before frowning and looking down, looking surprisingly ashamed about the incident.

“Well… I guess I shoulda told ya, but… I can kinda _talk_ to him. Sorta.”

Sammy gets in both of their faces then, apparently having no manners about personal space anymore

“Talk? To whom, the Ink demon?? You can speak with our lord?”

Henry pats a hand to the masked face of the music director, pushing him away with a stiff shove into the door (making Sammy grunt and curse a little) before continuing to talk to Bendy

“What do you mean sort of talk to him?”

“Well, I can like… get into his head kinda? An’ talk ta him like that? He can do the same ta me, but only sometimes... It’s like an awkward soulmate thing, but with your worst enemy an’ no friendship”

Sammy interjects yet again, much to Henry’s irritation

“So you can connect to our lord and talk to him _telepathically_ , and he can do the same to _you??_ ”

Bendy sighs, shrugging

“Yeah, but again, only sometimes. When he does though, he can see me, an’ like... find out where I am”

He sheepishly smiles at Sammy still holding the shrug as the music director stood there with his upper half slumped forward in disbelief.

“So you mean we had to run because you had a nice chat that nearly dragged our angry lord to our doorstep…”

“Weeeellll, more like I _did_ drag him to the door… ‘cause he really was there.”

Almost on cue, Henry hears the locked door next to them start clicking and opening, all of their attention turning as it slides open. Henry glances at the other two then;

“Alright. Let’s walk and talk- the sooner we find a new safe house, the better...”

As Henry starts walking with Bendy in his arms still, Sammy stayed next to them, seemingly not keen on being alone after everything they’d seen so far. Henry however simple continued talking;

“So, Bendy... you can connect to the Ink demon _sometimes,_ like when you’re asleep… and then he can see you and where you are through your eyes? But you can do the same to him? 

Looking up at him from his arms, the little demon frowns

“Yeah, that’s pretty much it.”

Henry furrows his brow a bit at that, glancing back for a moment

“But that doesn’t answer my original question... How… how come _/I/_ was in his head??”

Sammy turns to Henry at that, looking like a very offended wealthy man whose shoe had just been stepped on

“ _/Excuse/_ me?! You _/WHAT/?!_ ”

Bendy slumps on Henry now, whining a bit

“That’s what I was apologizin’ fer earlier... When I was sleepin’ on ya, I guess I kinda maybe… dragged ya in with me. He didn’t like that… an’ now he probably knows everythin’ you do”

Sammy, now in silent disbelief, was making exasperated gestures at Henry that Henry wasn’t sure were random or offensive; either way, he ignores while continuing to speak to Bendy

“So… you accidentally put me in the _Ink demon’s_ head, but he read all of _my_ thoughts?… As in, he knows everything I always do in the repeated loop, and can now easily read and counter my moves?... that’s bad.”

“Yeah… it’s _pretty_ bad”

“This is _really_ bad.”

Sammy stopped walking then, Henry accidentally bumping into him with a grunt; about to question him, Henry follows his gaze to the massive room they now stood in that was heavenly toys. Silently walking up on Henry’s other side, Boris was now looking up with them, making it all four now standing and staring at the sign. Shrugging slightly, Henry sighs

“Well, hopefully despite knowing what I know, the Ink demon won’t be able to counter us too badly... Though, something tells me he might not. It seemed like he already knew the script… so if he was going to, maybe he would’ve already done so?...”

Sammy glances to him now, confused at his lack of comment on the room itself or anything else

“There’s a giant toy factory I don’t remember at all, and you’re still blubbering about ‘scripts’? Sure, this isn’t weird at all! Nothing strange about it! I’m just having a staring contest with a giant stuffed Boris.”

The music director walks away as he continues listing complaints, his voice thankfully trailing off as he starts fiddling with the many different Bendy cut outs, organizing them now. Henry watches Boris walk onward as well, almost as if he knew there wasn’t anything else they could do anyways. Sighing, Henry follows after now, walking past Sammy (who after organizing a choir of Bendy cut outs) had flopped into the lap of a giant Bendy plush, sinking into it with a pleased sigh.

“I wish we could keep this”

Henry makes a face at the thought of dragging the oversized Bendy with them

“I don’t.”

Bendy suddenly squeezes from Henry’s arms then, a comical ‘pop’ sound coming from him once he’s free, making Henry stop in his tracks. Turning, he watches the demon run over to the plush, throwing himself onto it and nearly knocking Sammy off in the process. Shaking his head, Henry walks over before looking down on them

“We really don’t have the time to be messing around, especially with what you’ve told me- weren’t _you_ also the one pushing in a hurry to get somewhere?...”

Bendy frowns, pouting now

“Man, why’re ya always all gloomy ‘n serious? Sure, I wanted ta rush things _earlier_ but now i’m not even sure what we’re supposed ta be doin’ ta get out! Why rush inta the unknown?...”

Henry looks surprised for a moment at the response, frowning himself now

“You just told me it was really bad that the Ink demon was in my head, and now you’re reluctant to do anything about it?”

Bendy’s pout turns into genuine guilt then as he slumps more, sinking further into the lap of the plush

“I just… don’t like thinkin’ ‘bout it. Yeah, the Ink demon knows some of yer thoughts ‘n all… but yer right about one thing- he ain’t even allowed ta do anything ‘bout it. I told ya, it’s complicated”

Sammy was silently questioning Bendy’s words, clearly wanting to know more as much as Henry, who now steps forward and crouches in front of him

“Alright... if you don’t want to move on, we can sit here and talk about this then. What do you know, and why aren’t you telling us? Why aren’t you telling _me?_ You can trust me… can’t you?”

Bendy shoves his face into the plush then, letting out a loud ‘UUUUUUUUUGh’ muffled into it before he speaks into it, still muffled

“Y’know what, I changed my mind- let’s keep goin’! I’m sure they’re waitin’ fer us, Boris probably is, so let’s go-”

“Come on Bendy, just tell me… it can’t be that bad-”

“No.”

“Bendy-”

Now climbing up and behind the plush, Bendy peers down at Henry

“No!”

“Bendy!”

While trying to get him down to make him talk, Henry could see Sammy pulling out his book again from the corner of his eye, the music director tabbing through pages trying to find something. 

Struggling to climb and get the rather squirrely demon, Henry slips and falls onto the lap of the plush with a grunt, glaring up at Bendy who sticks his tongue out from on top of his own big stuffed head. Next to him, Sammy speaks up, distracting him from Bendy

“Ah-hah! Here; I thought I had read something similar to what you experienced… I just couldn’t believe it was _you_ and not me- especially considering you have no belief…really, it’s not fair.”

“Yeah yeah, please spare me the worship stuff; what did you read?”

Holding the book in front of Henry now, Bendy leans over the plush’s head from above to look as well while Sammy gestures to drawings of the Ink demon

“Here: Joey mentions something about observing the Ink demon’s vision being poor when he was first born from the ink machine. He found that the Ink demon was able to see better and navigate around by using other’s vision somehow... the only drawback, however, was he often scarred the employees in the process…”

Holding the book and looking at the drawings, Henry furrows his brow in thought

“Scarred? Like how?”

He looks back to Sammy, who continues;

“Joey made some note about the Ink demon getting into their minds, using their vision or something… whatever happened in the process left several employees mentally unstable and rather upset about the incident. Not sure why or how, as he didn’t go into detail…”

Henry recalls the vivid feelings of cold fear, and can imagine why they’d reacted so poorly. Sighing, he hands the book back;

“But this doesn’t explain why Bendy connected us, or how that’s happening… is it just something he can do?”

Sammy shrugs, snapping the book shut

“I suppose so... our lord is of many talents”

Henry gets up, not wanting to listen to him babble more; he also figured that trying to hound information out of Bendy wouldn’t be happening either, considering his current reaction. Whatever he was reluctant to share, it was going to stay that way for a while whether Henry liked it or not. 

Before moving on however, Henry gets a chill that pauses him; the shadows of the Ink demon had started to creep from the way they had come. Additionally, the tell-tale heartbeat echoed ominously from the dark- the Ink demon had caught up to them. Internally cursing and remembering his own warning of not lingering, Henry yanks Sammy to his feet without hesitation, pushing him towards the nearest miracle station

“Quickly, move- We have to get into the miracle station!”

“The _what?!_ ”

“No time to explain, just move it!”

From above, Bendy hops down right onto Henry’s back nearly knocking him over, but he recovers and runs with Sammy over to a frightened Boris whom Henry also grabs, pulling with them. Behind, he can hear the heartbeat getting louder as the clearly angry demon was getting ever closer. Rushing for the station, Henry can already tell how unpleasant it was going to be; unfortunately they had no other option. Opening the door, he pushes Boris and Sammy towards it, but the music director puts his arms out stopping them;

“ABSOLUTELY _NOT!_ That is DISGUSTING, and he will KILL _ALL OF US!_ What part of packing into a- a- a _TOILET_ is going to save us?! I re-FUSE to-”

Henry backs up before body slamming him into the station, making Boris yelp and Sammy briefly scream before the door is yanked shut, all four of them squished roughly into the small space. He wanted to apologize to Boris (not being as sorry for Sammy), but the Ink demon was stalking up to the station, freezing them all in silence. Bendy, Henry could feel, was shaking again and trying to squeeze further out of view as the Ink demon passes right before the station.

The Ink demon stopped right in front of the door then, making Henry nervous that he’d defy the little rule of the station for once. Leaning closely, his disturbingly twitching smile nearly touched the wood before Boris growls threateningly at him; the Ink demon responds by slamming his hands against the door, the act startling everyone inside. Strangely though, it looked as if a vague golden shimmer kept him from actually _touching_ the station.

The act regardless had silenced the growl as soon as it had started, and left them all sitting silently again as they practically held their breath.

Slowly, the Ink demon twitches again away from the station, his back now facing them. He starts to seemingly grow shorter, which Henry realizes was him sinking into the floor and away from them. Moving closer to peer out, Henry sees him lowering into an ink puddle before the demon’s head snaps to look at him last second, causing him to flinch and smack into the others. Finally, the demon had vanished into the puddle which shortly disappeared after.

Sighing with heavy relief once the demon was gone, Sammy grumbles from behind him, sounding rather squished as he complains

“For the love of our Ink lord… _Let. Me. OUT_ ”

Opening the door now, Henry almost fell to the floor as they all poured out of the cramped station, Bendy flopping onto the floor from his back with a grunt and staying face down for dramatic effect, while Sammy and Boris both rubbed their arms from having collided roughly. Sighing, Sammy glances towards Henry then;

“Okay… so your little… _‘miracle station’_ stops him? Just like that?... I hate this place more and more. If I have to go into a dirty portable TOILET just to save myself every time, then I want nothing to do with this anymore!”

“Unfortunately, you’ve come too far; there’s no turning back now. And if you _don’t_ hide in the stations, you’ll end up getting what was supposed to happen in the first place.”

Henry watches Sammy mutter more before he also points out to him,

“You know, for someone who worships and loves the Ink demon... you really don’t seem to like him.”

Sammy huffs, tapping a shoe impatiently at him

“It’s not that I don’t love and appreciate our lord- it’s simply that he’s not aware of my role as his shepard yet, and would mistaken me for a filthy sinner like you. Rightfully either way, I fear his wrath. Understood?”

Henry shakes his head, ready to find tape for Sammy’s mouth when Bendy sits up, looking like he was entranced by something.

“Hold on- both of you shut up. Do ya hear that??”

A long silent pause fills the air before Henry raises an eyebrow at him

“Okay… I give up. What’re we listening for?”

Bendy waves a hand at him angrily

“SHHH-SH-SH!! Listen!”

More silence, yet Henry still didn’t hear anything. About to say something, he pauses at the strange feeling of himself almost attuning to the environment as his hearing picks up a distant melody… humming. 

She was waiting.

Sammy and Boris however didn’t seem to know what they were trying to hear, so Henry explains

“Alice is waiting for us. C’mon… ‘it’s not polite to leave a lady waiting’.”

Sammy stared at Henry silently, not entirely understanding as he throws his arms up while starting to follow him

“Whatever you say, you crazy old sheep…”

The irony at being called crazy by _Sammy_ made Henry almost snort as he heads into the toy room, Bendy scurrying past them

“Do ya think she’ll like me??”

Henry makes a face of concern thinking about Boris, looking down after him

“God, I hope not.”

Bendy sneers a little at that, sticking his tongue out

“Why?? ‘Cause yer jealous??”

Henry makes a face back, shaking his head

“ _Far_ from it. You won’t exactly be excited to meet her either when you see her…”

“Says you!!”

Henry felt a little bad for the demon who was expecting an entirely different Alice… Henry rather wished it _was_ that Alice too. Hopefully this time with Sammy and Bendy to help Boris would be spared too, but there was only one way to find out…

Sighing heavily, Henry moves the toy racks out of the way having fixed the toy machine

“Let’s go meet our ‘angel’...”


	6. A Quartet Made in Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a brief encounter with the not-so-pleasant Alice, Henry's group makes their way down to her 'cloud 9' running into trouble along the way before taking a rest at heaven's doors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Warnings: injury, glass in skin (and viscerally removed), bleeding, blunt object injury, violence, mild depictions of gore)

* * *

Walking very slowly into the room full of Alice paraphernalia, Henry wasn’t so eager to approach the glass as he knew full well what was going to happen. The others however seemed to be looking around curiously at the different Alice items, almost as if sightseeing in a museum. Henry thought how they wouldn’t be doing that again any time soon after their little meet-and-greet with the ‘lovely’ Alice herself, if she could really be counted as such. 

Regardless, Henry found it rather jarring to have them all here; this time he wouldn’t be alone for the sequence, which made him wonder how Alice would react. At the least perhaps it was just another cog loose in the wheel that might break the mundane repetition. The idea that simply having their presence was enough to change things was a pleasant thought.

The thought aside, they still had to deal with things in order for the time being it seemed. Nearby, Bendy was looking up at a cardboard cutout and currently tapping on it with a small ‘hmm’ before he bounces (quite literally) up to Henry, giving him a questioning look

“So, where is she? I heard her, I know she’s here… but I don’t see ‘er.”

“Oh trust me, you’ll be meeting her _very_ soon… why don’t you go stand _really close_ to that glass window over there?”

Bendy squinted skeptically at him now, putting his hands on his hips as he leaned forward while eyeing Henry

“...why? What’s the _catch_ , huh?”

“Catch? No catch; it’s just how we move forward is all.”

Bendy didn’t look convinced, and neither did Boris and Sammy who were now both far from it as they could be by the door they’d entered from; smart. Henry couldn’t help but smile, walking up to the glass himself thinking he might as well get things moving since the others were rightfully cautious.

Henry glances to Bendy as the lights suddenly go out, the Demon blinking in the dark as the cheery music fills the room causing him to flinch a bit. Sammy, meanwhile, was muttering about the song despite having been the one who wrote it. 

Henry gestures at the glass, but Bendy still doesn’t get too close, giving him a look still; Henry had to give him credit for the rightful skepticism. Perhaps he was finally catching on to his games... or he could just tell the scenario wasn’t ideal. Henry shrugs, speaking to Bendy over the music

“Hey, if you really want to see her, the closer you are the better look you’ll get…”

Before Bendy can make up his mind however, the song came to its closing while Henry wasn’t facing the glass. 

Unfortunately, that was a big mistake. 

The moment she screamed and hit the glass, Henry had flailed violently before scrambling away as Bendy pinwheels, rolling backwards in fear. Both Sammy and Boris had flinched, and the glass shattering with pure blackness sends all four into an even more unfortunate panic

Henry grunts with a yell as something heavy landed on him, knocking out his breath for a moment before he shoves it away; nearby, he could hear feet skittering as if someone was running in place, unable to move before Sammy screams only to be followed by a loud slam and another yell he could tell was Bendy. 

Alice’s laughter quickly cut as she finally noticed the chaos unfolding in the dark, Boris howling in fear which only made Sammy scream again. Henry suddenly found himself hitting the floor as Bendy practically clawed up and over his back into the air for whatever reason.

Once the lights finally flickered back on, the room was revealed to be covered in destroyed Alice paraphernalia everywhere; the cardboard display and posters were torn to pieces in the panic, along with broken glass scattered everywhere. Henry holds up his arms, which had bits of glass in them now unfortunately thanks to being knocked to the floor. 

Slowly looking over to the others, Henry finds Sammy had gotten tangled in his own suspenders, Boris was cowering in a corner holding his arms over his head, and Bendy was cowering next to him… holding the cardboard Alice’s head over his own. 

He would be more upset about the mess, but the sheer ridiculousness of it suddenly struck him. Bursting into laughter, Henry couldn’t help himself despite his arms burning from the glass; how could he? They’d all essentially enacted a perfect cartoon skit, physical comedy and all. Sighing, Henry finally speaks up;

“Everyone alright?...”

Sammy finally freed himself, pulling a piece of poster from his inky shoulder

“We should be asking _you_ that; not only did she scream at _you_ personally, but your arms look _terrible_ ”

Bendy shakily lowers the Alice cutout’s head, blinking at Henry before he tosses it away entirely and runs over to him; apparently he got over things quickly.

“Are ya okay?? Does it hurt?? Aw Jeeze- I don’t know what ta do ‘bout glass, I’m really sorry- I didn’t mean to-”

Henry gently pats him on the head, making Bendy blink and go quiet before looking up at him and frowning. Henry calmly responds;

“It’s okay. It stings, but i’ll live. My injuries don’t usually last long anyways...”

Pulling some bits out, Henry winces while flicking them away, noting how they were drawing ink instead of blood as always. Strangely, any wounds he’d sustain always healed on their own as long as he gave them time. Bendy was still frowning at him however before holding out his hands towards Henry

“Gimme yer arms”

“Huh? What for?”

“Just gimme ‘em.”

Henry sighs, but obliges, holding his arms down to Bendy and wondering what he was up to. He watches Bendy take hold of them, wincing a little as the demon examined his wounds. 

On the other side of the room, Sammy was trying to bribe Boris from his corner with the bone he’d dropped in their mess. Henry almost didn’t notice Bendy was now muttering some words in another language under his breath at first, until he felt ink coldly creeping over his arms. Immediately snapping his attention forward again and pulling a bit, Henry felt a slight panic as the ink slithered over his forearms from Bendy’s palms

“B-Bendy, what’re you doing?! BENDY-”

His calls were ignored however, as the demon’s eyes were closed and he was intently focused elsewhere.

Henry felt eyes on him from the other two as he tried to control his panic while the ink wrapped over his arms. Slowly, he felt it stop moving as it had finished wrapping over them; was this supposed to be a makeshift bandage or something? 

The theory was soon dashed however as Henry felt many multiple burning pricks in his skin from the glass starting to get sucked out by the ink, causing him to clench his teeth at the sharp pain. Before Henry could even shout, it was over as soon as it had begun. Bendy opens his eyes with a blink then, the ink pouring off Henry’s arms effortlessly with the glass bits tinkling to the floor with it.

Holding up his arms in awe, Henry looks over his now unmarred skin, rubbing his hands over them and feeling no pain. His gaze moves to meet Bendy’s now, both silently staring at one another before Bendy gives him a small smile with a shrug, looking rather modest about it. Feeling confused and a little taken aback, Henry struggles to question him;

“What… what did you just do?”

“I dunno? Guess I healed ya… I didn’t like the thought of ya bein’ in pain is all”

Henry looks at him for another moment before smiling a bit despite his baffled confusion

“Well… thanks, I suppose? It’s good to know you can heal others… but, uh... how did you do it?”

Bendy shrugs a bit, looking quite confused himself

“Still dunno; I just wanted to help, then I did it? I kind of blanked…”

Sammy was suddenly in both of their faces, seemingly keen on invading their personal space without warning. Inspecting Bendy, he holds up the demon’s hands while looking at them in confusion before he grabs and looks at Henry’s arms, receiving an unamused look from both.

“Incredible… our lord has _gifted you_ with his blessing! Ah, praise be him; you’re very lucky Henry!”

Henry gently pushes him away, shaking his head

“Yeah, sure… ‘blessing’...”

He smiles at Bendy regardless, who smiles back before Boris suddenly grabs up all three of them in a big hug, making them all grunt in surprise. Henry struggles a bit as they’re crushed, Bendy kicking his legs in the air. Sammy pushes a bit, but can’t move very well while complaining;

“Boris, let us _GO!_ We’ve been crammed up together enough times today already!”

Boris lets them go, but still seemed happy nonetheless which makes Henry smile; Bendy and Sammy on the other hand were grumbling a lot while Henry ruffles Boris’ ears, making him close his eyes happily.

“Thank you for that. Why don’t we go see what miss ‘Angel’ has to say about our rag-tag team…”

Bendy perked up at that, apparently remembering what they were there for

“Oh! I didn’t even get ta see her- let’s go! I wanna see Alice!”

Henry frowns now, feeling a bit bad again; she wasn’t at all like him and Boris, she was an ex employee- not his fancy cartoon girlfriend he was likely hoping for. The thought suddenly sunk in that these two were living toons trapped in a world that certainly wasn’t their own- in fact, it was a nightmare in comparison. He couldn’t imagine the constant discomfort and fear of being in another realm where anyone they recognized was either not who they seemed, or an unfortunate twisted monster… Except, in a way, Henry supposes he could quite a bit now that he thought about it. 

Suddenly, it seemed Henry and Bendy weren’t very different after all; they were in a rather similar situation as both of them had been taken to a horror world from their home, their friends were corrupted, murdered, and twisted, and their minds were heavily tormented and tampered with by Joey Drew’s inky Hell. Now Henry really felt bad about Bendy meeting ‘Alice’...

“...Yeah, uh... let’s go see her. Don’t get too excited though- she’s not exactly what you’re thinking of. She’s… not really _good_ ”

Bendy frowns a little, but shrugs before putting on a smile anyways;

“Well, might as well see for myself, eh? I bet I can charm her _easily_ either way!”

Henry snorts, shaking his head at that; he really hoped she wouldn’t get weird about Bendy like she always did Boris… losing Boris every time was painful, but somehow, the thought of losing Bendy… that, Henry thinks, was not going to happen no matter what. 

Henry thinks how he defensively wanted to hold the little demon close to himself despite having known him for such a short period of time. Either Henry got attached too easily, or it was his long lasting fondness he’s always had for his creation; either way, he wasn’t going to let Alice hurt him. 

As they now came to the crossroads of the Angel and Demon sign, the four gazed at the two signs, Bendy looking deep in thought

“Demon or Angel?... Well i’m _obviously_ a demon! But… that way is like, the bad way or something, right?”

Henry sighs, shaking his head 

“I’m not sure. I’ve tried both paths and they never actually change anything. Though the demon path takes us to Joey’s office, which is very flooded with ink… I don’t think any of you three want to walk through it.”

All three shake their heads in unison rather comically, making Henry grin a bit in amusement

“Right… then let’s go through the angel path.”

Heading in that direction, the sound of the other path shutting off makes Bendy jump slightly before he hurries over to Henry’s side, holding onto his arm now as they walk, making him smile even more. Funny enough, Bendy’s clingy habits didn’t bother him; instead, he found it rather endearing and somewhat comforting as he was typically alone.

“Don’t worry, there shouldn’t be too many more surprises from here… I think”

Just as Henry says ‘I think’, the Bendy cutout on cue pops from the corner startling him with a jump that makes the actual Bendy jump a good couple feet backwards himself with a sound not unlike a squeaky toy. Breathing a loud sigh, Henry gives the now amused Boris a countering unamused look; he had forgotten his wolfy friend typically liked to pull that prank. How he’d managed to slip ahead and pull it off so quickly, he wasn’t sure; perhaps cartoon humor gave them super abilities... Sammy, on the other hand, simply took the cutout from him and was now dusting it off

“This isn’t a _toy_ you know! It’s an item of worship!”

Boris makes a face that doesn’t seem to agree, and Henry felt the same way; if Sammy was upset about them playing with one, then he _really_ wasn’t going to enjoy what they were going to have to do for Alice later. 

While thinking, Henry hadn’t noticed that Bendy had walked back up to him until he felt a heavy tug on his arm that made him look down to the now very tired looking demon

“I can’t take all the scares back to back like this!... Can we take a break? I’m tired…”

Henry shakes his head with a frown, looking past everyone to the switch Boris usually stood by for the two-switch door

  
“Not yet. It’s not safe here; the ink demon can hear us easily in this spot. When we get to the outside of Alice’s chambers, we can- her area is generally safe.”

Bendy whines loudly and obnoxiously in response, dramatically clinging to Henry’s arm while slumping his full weight towards the floor nearly pulling Henry with him; flailing his other arm a bit for balance, he frowns more as Bendy whines again.

“I’m tiiiiiiiired! I wanna breaaaaaaak!”

Henry huffs, pulling his arm back up

“Whining isn’t going to help; it’s not safe here! Also, you’re an adult... you can handle going a bit further.”

Sammy huffs at Henry then, crossing his arms

“That’s no way to treat our lord! If he’s tired, you should carry him. In fact, _/I/_ can carry him!”

Bendy makes a bit of a face at the suggestion, clinging tighter to Henry’s arm now

“I think he’s right; _/you/_ should carry me!”

Henry hangs his head, heaving yet another sigh before he gives in and scoops up Bendy thinking how spoiled he was, and how he was only enabling and spoiling him further… it was likely he would in the future too. After all, he had to admit one thing; he created Bendy to be charming and cute, essentially hard to resist, and boy, was Henry bad at resisting. 

His thoughts are only proven further, because the moment Bendy was in his arms Henry could feel him clinging and getting snug, making him immediately forget he was irritated in the first place; it was much like getting a hug from a large, talkative cat.

“You know I can’t fight anything with you in my arms like this Bendy…”

“Hm? Why would ya need to fight?”

Before Henry can answer, Sammy yelped as a searcher had popped out of an ink puddle without warning, but was quickly dashed by the musician who had taken up a plank in defense. Henry rolls his head to look Bendy in the eye now, who stares blankly before slumping on him once more

“Okay, maybe those guys; but Sammy can handle it, right mr.prophet?”

“Of course, my lord! Anything to protect you!”

Bendy snorts, but Henry shakes his head looking to Boris

“You stay by that switch over there and wait for me to throw the other one... Sammy, follow me. There’s something else I want you to take care of for me…”

Sammy slumps, seeming highly unwilling at the suggestion

“Whaaat? Is it bad? Why did you have to put it like that…”

Sammy begrudgingly followed Henry, though Henry felt he wasn’t entirely against it as he’d at least be helping Bendy. He also thinks, however, that the music director was not going to be happy when he had to approach the Butcher Gang poster… it got Henry every time after all; who’s to say how the jumpy music director would react? In fact, he had no idea how Bendy would react either which concerned him as he realized he was holding him close range; Henry could only hope it wasn’t something painful and violent.

Sammy skeptically pauses halfway up to the poster, seemingly eyeing it despite still having the mask covering his face, glancing backwards to Henry and the now dozing Bendy

“So what thing did you need me to take care of, anyways? And _where_ is it?”

Henry nods his head forward

“Just keep walking and you’ll find it”

Sammy, however, stayed put refusing to do so

“I’m not moving until you tell me what to expect. I hate you being so smug and knowing while the rest of us get the daylights scared out of us!”

Bendy opened his eyes again at that, nodding a bit in agreement

“Yeah, the ink guy’s right; ‘s not funny Henry…”

Henry grins a little despite it with a shrug

“...It’s pretty funny. You guys just need to lighten up; you’re always telling _me_ to do so after all…”

Despite the jest, Henry actually was rather stiff and nervous thinking about the Ink demon returning at any moment. At this point, it seemed things would soon be quickly rolling off the rails and perhaps any previous rules would be out the window. This meant he wouldn’t know what to expect anymore, and he’d know real fear again, not being able to predict what horrors would occur like his first time here. 

The mere idea of the Ink demon calling off all bets and coming at him full force with fury seemed more terrifyingly possible the further they went, and it was making him somehow more nervous than eh already was. Sammy cut into his train of thought however by responding,

“Very funny… Just tell me, and i’ll get rid of it, okay? I’m not playing games with you… unless the lord wishes it, but so far, he’s simply agreed with me.”

Henry looks to Bendy who yawns, making both him and Sammy yawn in response after a moment ; boy, was he starting to feel it too.

“Fine, fine; here, take this first”

He pulls the gent pipe Boris had given him much earlier from his belt, now offering it to Sammy

“Don’t lose it, we’ll need it for later. When you approach that poster, a piper is going to burst out; whack him for us, would you?”

Sammy tilts his head, not understanding

“A... a what?”

Henry suddenly realized that Sammy had never been in these areas before; he’d only seen searchers and lost ones, but never the strangely mutilated butcher gang copies. Boy, he thinks, Sammy was going to be in for a really ‘good’ time then.

“Okay, so you know the butcher gang?”

Lifting his head again, Bendy briefly comments-

“Those guys are the worst! Low down dirty rotten little…”

-before he slumps his head back to Henry’s shoulder, closing his eyes as his words trail off into muttering. Henry gently runs a hand over Bendy’s head, making the little demon smile slightly, but Sammy was still standing there in confusion

“Yes, I know about them; they’re only the ugly antagonists I hated composing for. What of it?”

“Well, you see, there are copies of them like Boris and Bendy here in this place… only, none of them are uh… right. They’re all really messed up and scary looking, and they make terrifying noises. On top of that, they’re a lot harder to defeat than searchers.”

Sammy gestures with the pipe at the poster wildly then

“You want me to take on something like that when I don’t even know what to expect?! NO! You do it!”

Henry rolls his eyes, getting a bit tired of all the trade-offs, but he figures it’d be easier to just compromise for now.

“Here then, you hold _this_ ”

Without waiting for a response, Henry hoists Bendy from his arms into Sammy’s, who drops the pipe in turn to properly support his weight. Grabbing up the pipe, Henry looks over to them, Bendy giving him a pout

“You might want to back up… a lot. These guys move fast, and hurt pretty badly.”

At that, Sammy turned and hurried away back to the safer area where Boris was still waiting, Bendy pouting the whole way there. Distantly, Henry could hear Sammy murmuring praises and joy about holding his ‘savior’, though he knew his little ‘savior’ was likely not much in the mood for it.

Turning to the poster then, Henry huffs and puts on a more serious demeanor; these guys were tough, and even if he knew what to expect, it didn’t make it any easier to fight them. Henry not-so-fondly recalled several many times where he had been bested by the angry butcher gang clones he’d rather not repeat. Time to trip the trap, and hopefully get that piper down before he could do any real damage. 

Bracing himself, Henry approached the poster only to still get startled from the piper bursting out; it always got to him because the creature’s face and movements were incredibly unpleasant. Lashing the pipe at it now, Henry had to continuously back away while fighting; gritting his teeth, he hoped he wouldn’t end up dragging it all the way to them. Turning the corner, he gave one more hefty whack before the piper finally collapsed, gargling gibberish as it turned lifeless; that is, to say, if it really had any true life to begin with. Strangely enough, it seemed almost too easy this time… which concerned him.

Yet, Henry still felt a bit relieved thinking how it could be worse, when he hears Sammy speak up from behind him

“I’m glad I made you do it instead, that thing was DISGUSTING! What even _is_ it, anyways?”

Frowning, Henry straightens himself

“I’m not entirely sure… they’re supposed to be clones of the butcher gang, but they’re… strange. I’m not sure if they were people before, or just ink…”

He looks over now, seeing both Bendy and Boris were frowning at the corpse, making Henry feel a bit bad; seeing things like this must’ve never been easy for them. Either way, they weren’t friends and had to be dealt with despite what they wanted; yet another unfortunate side effect of the ink machine’s curse.

“Alright, i’m gonna go flip the switch; then we can move on…”

However, before Henry can even turn around, Bendy had suddenly gripped poor sammy around the face causing him to stumble as the demon shouted;

“HENRY, LOOK OUT!”

Surprised and confused, Henry turns just in time to see that the Piper had sprung back up from the floor at him, receiving a hefty whack to the face for it from its pipe. The collision immediately made his vision black out, and the rusty metal smell from the pipe overwhelmed him for a moment causing him to fall flat on his back. 

Stunned and blinded, Henry couldn’t tell entirely what was happening as a weight crushed his chest hard, causing him to cough loudly which soundly weirdly echo-y in his own head. As fast as the weight had hit him though, it had suddenly vanished off of him with a lot of distant shouting.

Blinking a few times now, Henry’s vision cleared as he groans from the hit he’d taken, sitting up with a hand on the back of his head only to realize it felt… wet. Looking down, Henry sees ink soaking over him, making him panic for a moment until he realizes it hadn’t come from him. Confused, he stumbles to his feet getting grabbed and steadied by Boris, who he quietly thanked before looking around not seeing the Piper anywhere, nor Bendy or Sammy for that matter.

He looks to Boris, who whimpers and points to the hall Henry had dragged the Piper out of. Slowly walking that way with the wolf clinging to his back, Henry tentatively calls out;

“Bendy?... Sammy?... You guys okay?”

Turning the corner to the switch, he flinches and stops dead in his tracks at the sight before him. Sammy was standing aside with the pipe, looking as frozen as they were due to the same reason; Bendy had the Piper by the throat in his _teeth_ , his gloved hands clawed and digging into its head and torso while Ink seemed to bleed from it heavily. That is, until Henry realizes, it was coming from Bendy instead whose eyes were obscured by it which made Henry really confused, nervous, and upset.

Pushing away from Boris, Henry runs over and yanks the Piper from Bendy without a fuss, tossing it carelessly aside making Boris jump out of the way to cling to Sammy instead who glanced at him. Henry then gripped Bendy by his shoulders, shaking him gently

“Bendy! Bendy, it’s okay; snap out of it! It’s gone now! We’re safe!”

The demon, however, remained silent with ink dripping from his frowning mouth before he starts to shake heavily and whine

“I told you I was tired… I-I couldn’t take any more scares…”

Henry blinks then before pulling Bendy into his arms tightly, hugging him close despite the ink. It didn’t matter if he got covered in it; Bendy was the most important thing to worry about.

“I know… i’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you… i’m alright, okay? Everything’s okay now…”

He gently rubs a hand over the little demon’s back to comfort him, and slowly he could see the ink stop dripping as Bendy seemed to re-solidify with a sniff, wiping it off his face now looking rather messy.

“I-I got scared- he was hurtin’ ya, an’ I didn’ know what to do, so I just kinda... snapped. I-I’m sorry, please don’t leave me behind- i’m not bad, I swear!”

Henry silences him with another squeeze, hushing him audibly as well

“It’s okay… you’re not evil at all. You defended me… that’s very brave of you. I would never leave you behind, okay?”

Bendy sniffs again, nodding and holding tightly to Henry in return now, who lifts him into his arms while standing and turning to face the other two

“Let’s… move on and forget this happened. No point in waiting around for the ink demon to come see what all the noise was.” 

Sammy and Boris seemed to silently agree, as they return to what they were doing beforehand; Sammy lingers however, having some thought he doesn’t quite share with Henry who gives him a quizzical look.

“Everything alright?”

“Hm? Oh; yeah… I was just wondering about how your injuries seem to heal themselves. It’s funny, I feel I can almost recall a similar situation of someone hurting their head… but ah, memories are fleeting here, are they not?”

Henry blinks, watching the music director almost ominously walk away after that comment, wondering a bit himself. He was right; he seemed to always heal somehow, and bleed ink… Henry hoped it was just in his head however, and not something worse. As for the memories… Henry felt his own could be starting to fade more than they have, and he wasn’t sure what was worse; not being able to remember, or painfully remembering.

\---

Having gotten through the door now and moving forward, Henry was now wondering if the elevator could safely move all of them. The alternative of fighting everything in the stairs however was not a tempting route, so he figured they might as well try. Even if they fell, it’d just be bypassing Alice to get to what was bound to happen anyways… right?

Heading for the doors, Henry glances down at Bendy who was struggling in his arms before letting him go. He almost felt disappointed to let him go, but it was better not hold a demon back he figured. 

Bendy, once free, had hurried away to look up at the elevator before making a bit of a face

“Is this thing even safe? I know I said I’m tired, an’ you want us to hurry up so we can get a break, but… this don’ look safe.”

Henry shrugs, stepping onto it with Boris, the two looking back at the other two who were reluctant

“It’s the best way to go unless you want to take the stairs and risk the ink demon finding us, and a _lot_ more enemies. Not to mention ink floods…”

“Alright, alright! I get it; ’s not great, but neither is the other way.”

Bendy pouts now before holding out a foot to slowly press it down on the elevator floor, testing it as if somehow his little bit of weight would cause it to fall then and there. Henry decides to amuse himself, suddenly bouncing the elevator a bit as he jolts and goes ‘BOO!’. Immediately Bendy shrieked and bolted up onto poor unwitting Sammy’s head again, who flails and falls backwards to the floor with the demon wrapped around his face. Henry lets out a hearty laugh in response, Boris even smiling a bit as Bendy quivers both in anger and shock still holding onto Sammy who is struggling to sit up

“M-my lord, please- I can’t see, or move-”

“That was REAL rotten, Henry! REAL rotten!”

Henry wipes some tears from his eyes sighing and smiling back at the very grumpy Bendy

“I’m sorry, I had to; you’re like a cat that jumps at anything… it’s too good to pass up.”

Bendy still glares at him, finally releasing the relieved Sammy who gladly gets up dusting himself off as if it’d do any good. Stalking over to the elevator now, Bendy stays far from Henry as he can casting him dirty looks now and then while Sammy steps on, arms folded

“If this thing falls, at least I know i’ll survive; it’s the one knack of an inky ‘body’ I suppose…”

Henry shrugs once again, hitting the button for floor 9; that’s when Alice’s voice pops up, surprising him a bit- he’d almost forgotten her entirely because she’d been practically silent for once. Bendy’s bad mood seemed to melt into curiosity as she spoke, all of them looking up as if they’d be able to see her somewhere

“You’re quite the curious band, you know that? I’ve never seen anything quite like you… especially _you_ , Henry…”

Bendy gave a questioning look at that

“Wait, how does she know your name?”

Henry blinks, staring blankly ahead now as the realization hits him; why hadn’t he asked that before? How _did_ she know his name? How did she know anything that had been going on? Has she been watching this whole time somehow? The thought made him rather uncomfortable as she continued speaking

“And _you_ … Oh, I’ve never seen something so… so _beautifully perfect!_ I don’t know how such a _gem_ could be in a place like this! Where _did_ you come from? How did you get here? I’ve only ever seen the wretched ink demon, who clearly is more corrupt than the rest of us if you ask me...” 

Henry makes a face of disgust at her speech about Bendy, looking to the little demon who seemed surprised and unsure of how to respond. Henry wonders if she had seen his little break down over the Piper; maybe then she’d think otherwise. Bendy, however, simple was turning bashful and basking in her compliments regardless

“Heh-hee, little ol’ me? Well, it’s a long story but… _I am pretty perfect, huh?_ ”

Henry felt rather unamused now, which only gets worse as Sammy chimes in

“Yes, you certainly are! The most pure of us all-”

“ _Can you all please STOP?_ I can’t handle this…”

Bendy snickers at Henry now, giving him a snide look

“What, all the _me_ love? C’mon Henry, jealousy looks bad on you…”

Alice continued then, drawing their attention back

“Yes, you’re perfect… and i’m oh-so curious to meet you. How would you and Henry like a date with an _angel?_ ”

Bendy gleamed then, looking far too excited which made Henry worry

“Done deal! Where do we go?”

“When you get down to level 9, simply follow the screams…”

At that, Bendy looked interested, giving Henry a curious look in turn now

“I think I like her already~”

“You shouldn’t. She’s not what you think, and full of more lies and manipulation than you.”

Bendy looked a bit deflated at Henry’s words, pouting once more

“Whaaaat? Isn’t there anything here that doesn’t have to be ruined?...”

Henry shakes his head as they near their floor

“Like you said, the fact she knows my name is weird enough; she’s possibly been spying on us, and watching this whole time… trust me,”

He looks to Boris with concern before looking past the elevator doors

“We can’t trust her.”

Bendy sighs then, waving a hand a bit before putting them both on his hips

“I know, I know… I was mostly jokin’ around; remember when we first met up? I said I’ve been watchin’ everything you’ve been doin’ around here… I know what happens”

Henry raises an eyebrow, assuming Sammy would have too with the way he turned to look down at Bendy before replying

“I forgot, because you’ve been acting like none of this is familiar at all…”

“That’s ‘cause it ain’t for me! I only watched, never been _through_ it before! Not ta mention there’s a lot ta keep track of, ‘n I kinda forget stuff”

“Well, I guess that makes sense…”

Henry turns back to the door as the elevator clunks to a stop, withdrawing to let them out. In front of them was the path to Alice’s lair that Henry never really liked trudging into for several reasons, the main one being her in general. Approaching her ‘gate’ then and holding his hand on the door lever, Bendy stops him them as he calls out ‘Hey!’ from behind, making Henry turn to look at him

“What?”

“You said we could take a break here, yeah? Maybe… well, maybe we should.”

Henry blinks for a moment before he slowly releases the lever with a nod

“Yeah… yeah I think we should take a break. You two okay with that?”

Boris nods, and Sammy huffs a loud dramatic sigh with his arms still crossed

“I guessss… for our lord’s sake, I will be patient. Perhaps i’m not so eager to meet our angel friend myself anyways… I just have a feeling we won’t get along. I mean, look at this place; it’s tacky and grimy!”

Henry gives him a look as if he was out of his mind

“Uh… yeah. The _entire studio_ is. That’s kind of the point of this place.”

Sammy shakes his head in disdain, tsking at Henry as he waves a finger now

“Not me! My music studio _was_ cleaner, until you brought all those grimy searchers in all over my floor…”

Letting the music director go on his tangent, Henry decides to get comfortable now settling in a nearby corner, back propped to the wall with a grunt as he sinks down to the floor feeling achy and tired. He was certainly starting to remember his age a bit… and Bendy was helping that fact, as the demon flops backwards into his lap now with a pleased sigh getting cozy on him. Defeated and not feeling like protesting, Henry wraps his arms around Bendy while looking over to Sammy, who was curiously tapping on the device that would later give them tools for the little ‘errands’ they’d be running. In his arms, Bendy had his eyes closed already before mumbling to him;

“It’ll be different this time.”

Henry blinks, a bit caught off guard at that statement

“Huh? What’re you talking about-”

“We won’t let her take ‘im. There’s more of us now, an’ it’ll be different. If I can help it, that Angel won’t be gettin’ away with Boris anytime soon.”

Henry silently gazes down at Bendy who still has his eyes closed for a moment before opening them with a big grin back at him. Sighing, he smiles a little back at the demon

“You seem pretty convinced for someone who just said that out loud so she could probably hear…”

“Eh, we’re past that point anyways; you said all that stuff in the elevator! If she can hear what we’re sayin’, well, we’re already boned!”

Henry gives him a look then, knowing full well it was meant to be a pun off of Boris, who was chewing the bone he’d been given earlier rather noisily nearby. Bendy simply gives him an innocent grin in return before Henry ruffles his little head making Bendy fuss in response, giving him a dirty look now as Henry smiles.

“Yeah… I guess we would already be boned. Let’s try to un-bone this though, and keep things on a track that’ll hopefully lead to us getting out.”

Bendy snorts, settling into his arms again closing his eyes once more

“Yeah, we’ll do that… but please don’t say un-bone or any form of bone again please.”

Henry snorts himself this time, smiling as he watches Sammy coming over now, flopping down next to him

“Alright, no more boning.”

Sammy snaps his head to stare at Henry, looking rather taken aback at the out of context snippet of conversation.

“I _beg your pardon?_ ”

Henry continues smiling, not giving context to the poor music director who huffs and turns away to settle against the wall again.

“This place just gets weirder the further we go… how deep is this studio? It feels as if we’ll be going down forever…”

Henry frowns a little, looking off into the distance

“I suppose in a way we are, but maybe not this time… I hope.”

Sammy tilts his head in thought before patting Henry’s shoulder

“Well, hope is half the battle my friend; hold on to it, because it’s the only thing anyone has left in this place…”

Henry nods a bit, looking up as Boris decides to join them now, squeezing against Henry’s other side to get cozy while holding his bone so it doesn’t hit anyone in the face.

“Hey buddy, joining the cuddle-fest over here?”

Boris nods, happily hugging Henry from the side who rolls his eyes figuring this might as well happen. Sammy stares long and silently prompting Henry to look over at him slowly before Sammy gets defensive

“No, I don’t want to be part of it; stop looking at me.”

“I didn’t even say anything-”

“I said no.”

Henry blankly looks at him now before shaking his head and closing his own eyes now, the warmth from his two companions being more than enough to make him feel sleepy

“Wasn’t gonna offer, but I guess suit yourself… but I do have a question for you.”

“What?”

“Why’re you coming with us? I mean, at first it was to escape dying to the Ink demon, but now… well, you don’t really _have_ to come with us.”

Sammy silently seems to mull it over before leaning back to respond

“Well, I suppose I want to see if you’re right. If we’ll get out of here, and go home…”

Henry opens his eyes then, frowning a bit as he looks at Sammy

“Yeah, but that’s mostly my goal. What about you? There has to be a _real_ reason you’re doing this- and don’t say Bendy.”

Sammy stares at him through the mask, silent once more for a long moment before speaking again

“...I don’t know. I want to get out, and I want to see this through to the end- I want to follow our lord… but I don’t know really why. I suppose I feel there _has_ to be something more. Something missing for me… and I want it back. I won’t know what it is until I find it though…”

He shrugs then, looking away as he continues speaking

“I suppose i’m just like most everyone else; searching. Trying to find myself… and be me again. And part of me thinks- no, _knows_ there’s something important I’ve forgotten. Something I care about… and I have to keep going with you to find it. And I do hope I find it soon…”

He goes quiet again then, and Henry silently gazes at him a moment longer before nodding once more, looking away and closing his eyes

“Whatever it is, i’m sure we’ll find it some way or another. I won’t leave until everything is set right…”

With that, the group becomes quiet, silently existing in one another’s company without any disturbance for the time thankfully. After a while with most of them starting to doze, Henry feels a third warmth against his unoccupied shoulder causing him to chance a small glance. He finds Sammy leaning on his side now with his arms still crossed, having taken the unspoken offer after all. At the least it seemed the man didn’t hold anything against Henry, which made him glad; perhaps this time they wouldn’t have to axe fight with him dying as a result. Additionally, Henry now had full warmth around himself which was a comforting feeling better than anything he’d felt in a while and it easily lulled him to sleep…


	7. A Bargain With the Devil is Easier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After another jarring nightmare, Henry and the gang come face to face in an unpleasant encounter with Alice herself. Discussion over souls and murder makes tensions rise as they're left to start her tedious chores.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Warnings: mild nightmare imagery) (next update will be in another week or two!)

* * *

Someone was crying.

The sound fills everything, echoing and wrought with grief, pain, and distress; a sound so terrible it made Henry want to cry out himself in response, but he couldn’t feel himself at all.

Trying to find the source, he felt as if cold air was pulling him in like a vacuum while his vision blurred, speeding through darkened ink spattered hallways. Everything slowed down as he reached an unfamiliar room, the first ink machine on its floor poorly illuminated by a single dim flickering light.

Before him on the floor, Henry realizes, was the source of the crying; A small, melting Bendy trying to hold himself together. He was shaking, sobbing, and trying desperately to stop the ink pouring off of him, but to no avail. 

Henry felt as if his whole body had frozen cold suddenly, wanting nothing more than to call out and comfort the small demon, but he couldn’t move nor speak; only watch.

The dissolving Bendy looked up at him suddenly, the heart wrenching sounds becoming worse as he seems to stare him right in the eye, almost begging him for help. Henry struggles, still unable to find himself, but realizes Bendy wasn’t looking at him; he was looking _through_ him, to someone else. Behind himself yet right in his ears, Henry hears a voice speak:

“I don’t understand. what went wrong?! I did everything right! And i’m left with… with _this_?”

Henry could feel the ice in his veins turn to heat as anger replaced his empathy. The suffering Bendy looked up with pleading watery eyes;

“P-please… help me! I-I don’t know what to do! I-I can’t stop it, I can’t…”

“You were supposed to be _perfect!_ To be the face of the company! I can’t use this at all…”

The anger only deepened in Henry who resentfully recognized the voice despite not being able to turn and see who it belonged to. Bendy weeped harder as he gave up on trying to hold himself together, letting his body morph and fall apart now

“Please! I’m sorry! D-don’t abandon me, I don’t want to be alone!...”

“We’ll have to try again… this isn’t going to work-”

Without warning, Bendy’s sobs turned into heaves of breath as he started changing to Henry’s horror, as well as that of Joey behind him; but neither could move. They could only watch as the ink resurged around the poor demon, whose form began to twist and deform, turning into the all too familiar ink demon form he was cursed with. Rising now, he heaved shaky breaths, dripping ink still as his head hung eerily with his arms before him; Henry felt tense despite knowing he wasn’t physically in any danger.

“W-Well now, maybe.. Maybe I was a bit hasty-”

Bendy, in response, slowly lifted himself upright his frown twisting into a cruel smile that was devoid of any positive emotion, instead full of hatred- cold, and bitter despising hatred for the man before him. Henry could feel himself shiver as if it were being directed at him. Bendy slowly lifted his twisted left arm then before pointing a single finger accusingly, speaking with a hellish voice that made Henry want to run

“You never… cared. You never… wanted… to help me. You wanted to USE me. And now… I’ll use _you_ ”

Horrible laughter replaced what was the echoing crying, almost becoming too much as it became so loud Henry found himself trying to scream and fight it away.

-

Being shaken rather roughly, Henry snaps his eyes open before sitting upright as he’s startled awake out of what he realizes had been another nightmare. Starting to shiver hard, he wildly looks around trying to get his bearings before locking eyes with the music director’s mask staring down at him, holding his shoulders. Nearby, he notices Bendy and Boris clinging to one another, upset and visibly shaking themselves.

“Wh… what happened? Is everything okay?..”

Sammy huffs letting go of his shoulders with disbelief

“I should be asking _you_ that! You were screaming so loud it woke everyone and gave us all near heart attacks! Whatever you _were_ dreaming about, it must’ve been horrid to make you scream like you were being tortured to death!”

Henry blinks a few times, still feeling himself trembling as he does so; he hadn’t realized he had actually been screaming. Looking down now at his hands, he squeezes them tightly trying to regain control of his senses

“I… I just… it was a bad dream.”

Bendy lets go of Boris then cutting in

“Bad dream?! Try full blown NIGHTMARE! You were freakin’ out worse than i’d ever seen ya freak out! I-I thought you were dyin’ or somethin’!!”

Henry frowns, looking to him and Boris both before sighing anxiously

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to frighten you all like that. I’m alright, I promise…”

Bendy shakes his head as Sammy stands straight now, looking down as the demon walks up to Henry, clear upset and worry on his face

“Henry, you can talk to us y’know? We ain’t gonna use it to hurt ya or anythin’...”

Henry silently looks into the worried eyes of Bendy before he closes his own for a moment, quickly opening them again not wanting to risk anything

“I… dreamt about you.”

Bendy leans back a bit, blinking at that

“...Huh?”

“Well- not exactly _you_ but… I saw… the first copy of Bendy. He was so upset, crying… I just wanted to help him because he was so scared- and he couldn’t stop melting into ink... it was horrible. I didn’t want to watch…”

Bendy looked a bit nervous at that, wringing his hands slightly

“Did… did ya see anythin’ else?”

“Yeah… You- I mean, _he_ was just… crying for help. And Joey was there… He was being cruel and horrible, saying it didn’t work and he wouldn’t help. It made me mad, but I couldn’t do anything… and then…”

Henry runs a hand through his hair frowning at Bendy

“Well, the Bendy I saw turned into the ink demon. He was so angry, and wouldn’t stop laughing… it was hurting my head so I tried… screaming to drown it out. Guess, uh, it didn’t really work out since it was in my head…”

Henry looks to Bendy again, whose attention had turned to the floor now, visibly upset which made him worry.

“... are _you_ alright?”

“Huh? Oh… yeah. It’s just… do you think he deserved it? That Bendy?”

“ _Deserved it?_ Absolutely not! If anything, his anger was justified. I feel it might’ve twisted him irreversibly though... it probably hurt him badly mentally and physically. If that’s what really happened, he might never be the same…”

Bendy frowns more at that, looking down once more as Sammy returned to kneeling in front of him

“An odd dream indeed… I wonder if you’re having visions from our lord? Could it be you’ve been chosen as a prophet?... As much as I wish the honor to be my own, you are the one who is receiving his blessings…”

“Blessings?! I wouldn’t call these nightmares dreams, no less blessings!”

Sammy tsks at him, shaking his head and waving a finger that makes Henry raise an eyebrow

“You’re only looking at it from a surface level; such naivety in the chosen! Don’t you see? He has chosen to share his own mind with you! His thoughts and memories, perhaps in a way to help you help him guide us to freedom!”

Sammy stood then, dramatically throwing his arms out

“Such is the way of the prophet! Assisting his lord, so that all may receive their blessings! You must decipher what he foretells you, and share it with the people!”

At this point, Henry felt incredibly lost and not quite up for Sammy’s religious talk, and from the faces being made by the other two, he figured they felt the same. Then again, Henry thinks, Sammy might have a point; if he was connecting intentionally or not with the Ink demon, the more he saw of its memories and thoughts perhaps the better he could understand what they were dealing with. And maybe, just maybe… he could help it. It seemed that perhaps the Ink demon wasn’t a cruel mindless creature, but someone who had been dealt a horrible hand against their will just like them. However, there was also the chance it was just nightmares and not connected at all to anything.

A voice over the speakers distracts him from his thoughts however as Alice’s impatient tone struck up from above;

“You wouldn’t want to leave a woman waiting too long for a _date_ , would you? It’s terribly rude and poor-mannered…”

Henry remembered then they had stopped right outside her little ‘lair’, placing a palm over his face with a groan. He wasn’t quite up for her games either after his little sleep episode, but he knew they didn’t have much a choice; none of them could move forward without ‘appeasing the angel’.

“Alright… let’s go. I think we’ve spent enough time resting…”

Yet, it felt like he had hardly rested at all; and his aching body reflected as much. Either way, Henry still walked up to the doors below the Alice sign that now wrenched open on their own, sliding apart to let them through. As per usual, Boris went running ahead without warning, leaving the other three to slowly make their way down the hall. Bendy takes hold of Henry’s hand gently causing him to look down at the little demon, but he decides to say nothing when he notices how nervous he looked. Sammy, on the other hand, simply seemed annoyed over having to do anything lately; he was becoming impatient, and Henry wondered if there was a chance that would turn to anger…

As they enter the room of mangled corpses however, it seemed everyone’s demeanors had changed immediately; Henry felt himself become cool and distanced, familiar and used to the unfortunate sorrow of it all. Sammy seemed shocked, disgusted, as well as disturbed about it; supposedly there was some empathy still in him after all. Bendy meanwhile was looking up and over them with a clear frown, otherwise rather unreadable. Henry almost expected him to make another joke like he had with the first carved out Boris they’d seen, but somehow he felt something had changed in the little demon. 

Bendy only solidifies the theory as he finally speaks; 

“Wow… This is just… cruel. I mean, the Ink demon tears things apart like this, but never _like_ this- he would just turn them back to ink… this is just… murder.”

Sammy tilts his head in confusion at Bendy

“Murder? Would you care to explain the difference?”

Bendy hops up on a rail precariously, making Henry nervous and almost reflexively grab him down

“Yeah! Ya see, creatures of the ink don’t really _die_ so much as reset if ya dash ‘em… but if ya take _parts_ of ‘em, carve ‘em up like this an’ just… _display_ their bodies, they can’t really reform. It... almost kinda kills ‘em. She took parts of what made ‘em _them_ an’ now…”

Bendy jumps to one of the Boris’ tables now, balancing on top of it and making Henry flinch and desperately want to get him back to safety

“...Now they’re gone.”

Bendy looked terribly stricken by his own words, almost if he were on the verge of tears. Sammy looks down in solidarity, and Henry holds out his arms to Bendy

“Please… get down, you’re making me really nervous”

Thankfully on his asking, Bendy gave a hefty leap straight into Henry’s arms; however, Henry nearly falls backwards into the ink by the force. Thankfully they were soon saved by Boris who grabbed and steadied him, having snapped out of his daze. It made Henry glad on two sides, as they hadn’t fallen and Boris was behaving differently which made him feel hopeful again. 

Looking down at Bendy in his arms quickly makes him solemn again though, as the little demon was in fact crying now.

“Hey… I’m sorry. I wish there was something we could do-”

“She took their souls.”

Henry was taken aback by that, glancing at the other two who had moved further ahead and didn’t catch it. Turning his attention back to Bendy, he questions:

“Souls? What do you mean?”

“The bits she said were perfect an useful; those bits made up their souls… that’s why they’re keepin’ her in one piece. Their life energy is expended to feed her failing one... “

Henry stares long and silent as Bendy buries his face into his chest now before wrapping his arms tighter around him, gently rubbing the back of his head in comfort now

“I… I had no idea. I’m really sorry… we’ll fix this, okay?”

Bendy shrugs a little, clinging to Henry silently now. Henry felt a bit conflicted himself over the provided information; what did he mean by _souls_ exactly? And why did he know so much? The implication that souls were not only real but capable of being messed with made Henry feel rather uncomfortable. There was a lot of questions he suddenly had now he wanted answers to- more than usual.

However, he knew standing around the massacre wasn’t going to improve their moods regardless, so he moves to follow the others into the room where Alice was waiting behind glass as usual. Henry thinks how Bendy likely had no desire to get close to her after seeing the mess she’d made, as well as her earlier incident with the other glass. 

Alice, on the other hand, was eyeing Boris rather deviously until her attention turns to Henry then quickly snaps to Bendy, her eyes widening in excitement as her half rotted mouth twisted into a rather sickly grin

“Ah! We meet at last! I’ve been _so_ looking forward to finally meeting you… come now; why don’t you come closer so we can speak _eye to eye?_ ”

Henry glares at her then, holding Bendy closer who doesn’t move or respond as he was still sulking.

“He doesn’t want to talk to you. Frankly, i’m not too thrilled either…”

Alice’s smile immediately melted into her own glare directed piercingly at Henry

“ _YOU_ don’t speak for him! You’re just a pathetic swine like the rest of the lot, don’t make me _change my mind_ _about sparing you_ ”

Fanning herself with one hand then, she sighs heavily before flipping it through her hair trying to regain her composure

“Now then; Why don’t we get down to business? As you can see, it takes a _lot_ of work to keep myself so prim and beautiful-”

Sammy cuts in however, crossing his arms at her

“Beautiful? Half of your face is rotted and disfigured, and the half that isn’t is being kept together with murderous botox. I don’t find that rather _beautiful_ , if I may say so.”

She squints viciously at him now, her voice seething with hatred

“ _You may NOT say so!_ You think you’re better than ME?! You’re nothing but a- a hollow husk! A disgusting _BLOB_ with no form, who hides behind a mask!”

It was Sammy’s turn then to be terribly offended, taking an aggressive stance as if he were preparing to break right through the glass to get at her. Henry almost wanted to drag a hand down his face, while Boris covered his eyes in fear; however everyone’s attention was drawn to the operation table with a Piper strapped to it as said Piper gurgled out some rather unpleasant laughter directed at them.

Alice and Sammy suddenly and simultaneously yell “SHUT UP!” which quickly silenced the now startled Piper, who Henry thinks just bought itself a one way ticket to hell. He glances at Bendy, but the demon hadn’t changed, still having his face buried and quietly clinging to him. Gently squeezing the demon in his arms, he frowns as the two pick up their argument with Sammy starting off again

“You may call me a _blob_ but at least i’m not pretending to be someone i’m not-”

“Says the one with a _mask_ on and delusions of grandeur.”

“DELUSIONS?! I will have you _know_ I am the Ink demon’s beloved PROPHET-”

“You and I _both_ know that’s a lie you tell yourself to feel special… while me, well…I _am_ special~”

“The only thing special about you is your ability to single handedly make anyone you speak to realize what a wretch you are in five words or less”

“ _WHY YOU LITTLE-_ ”

“ENOUGH!” 

Both of them go silent as Henry glares between the two, having grown tired of the bickering.

“No more, out of _either_ of you, got it? We’re not here to fight; we just want to get out. Can you help us get out or not?”

Alice leans away from her podium then, crossing one arm while tentatively placing the other hand on her chin in thought

“Hmm… help you? Well, if you help me, there’s a chance… but I won’t be helping that _rude_ abomination that claims to be a prophet”

“ _I am not-_ ”

“Please?”

The room goes silent with surprise at that, even the Piper who lifted its head to look at Henry as if saying ‘whaaat?’. Henry felt a bit embarrassed now, keenly aware of all the attention on him; he never was very good at being under the spotlight.

“I just… we need him with us. And I won’t leave him behind… can you please look past it and let him come with us? He’ll help get what you need, I promise.”

Bendy finally looks up at Henry then, his expression worried

“Henry, you should _never_ promise to an _angel!_ ”

But it was too late; Alice was smiling pleasantly again (as much as she could be), placing her hands rather smugly on her hips now as she gazed down upon them

“Very well… if he makes up for his slimy words with things I need, _perhaps_ i’ll look past it… but at a price.”

“Oh boy… what price?”

Alice chuckles then, putting a hand over her mouth with glee

“I want your little masked friend to apologize to me!”

Sammy’s entire air drops as he slumps forward into a sulk, obviously not wanting to let go of his pride

“I will NOT-”

“You HAVE TO! Or you can say goodbye to your friends, because i’ll leave you to rot!”

Sammy looks to Henry and Bendy who both frown and shrug in unison at him before he looks to Boris who also shrugs before patting Sammy sympathetically on the head.

“Right… apologize… ugh.”

Sammy crosses his arms then, looking away from the still deviously gleeful angel

“I… apologize for having said things that were true and offended you.”

“That is NOT an apology! If you toy around i’ll come out and _strangle you myself!_ ”

Sammy huffs then, stamping a foot

“I shouldn’t have to! You’re vile, and a murderer! I’m a high-class musician who refuses to grovel!”

Alice looks ready to fight again making Henry cringe before she blinks and leans back, a curious look crossing her face

“Musician? Well-well… what was your name again? I might have a _different_ use for you, actually…”

Sammy slowly drops his arms and leans away, seemingly a bit concerned at that

“Well, if you must know… I am the ever, wonderfully _talented_ and great, Sammy Lawrence. I bet that’s more than _you_ can say for yourself; I know my own name.”

Alice looked interested indeed, thankfully ignoring the insult he tacked on as she leans in a bit towards him now

“How odd… your name is very familiar. Yet, it strikes me with angry disgust more than anything… Ah well, i’ll put it aside _just this once_ ; How would you like to compose a song in my honor?”

Sammy silently stares at her for a moment before shaking his head and sighing, crossing his arms once more

“I hate writing music for others, but… I suppose it has been some time since I’ve composed something. Perhaps I could use the practice…”

Alice looks delighted at that then, much to Henry’s relief- as well as Boris and Bendy’s, he realizes.

“Excellent! Write me a beautiful song for me to sing in my honor, and i’ll gladly look past our little _spat_. As for the rest of everything… it’s time for you to get to work, my little errand boy- and entourage… Except for one thing!”

Having turned about to leave, Henry pauses and looks over to her again questioningly, not liking where this was going.

“One thing?”

“Yes. Leave him… I want to speak with him personally.”

Henry follows her gaze to Bendy, whose face looked like a physical ‘yikes!’ before looking right back to her

“Absolutely _not!_ He stays with me, no question.”

Alice gives him an irritated and disappointed look in return

“Hm… Then before you leave, at least let me speak with him. I haven’t seen anything like him before… wouldn’t you want to talk to a darling angel, Bendy?”

Bendy’s ‘yikes’ face only worsens as he frantically looks around for an excuse, finding nothing but blank stares from the other two and a worried look from Henry

“U-uh… I don’t know english”

“...you just spoke it”

“U-UH,, NON. JE PARLE FRANCAIS”

“Mm, I speak French too if you’d like me too~”

Bendy gives Henry a helpless look, but for everything negative about the situation, he seriously couldn’t help it after that; Henry snorts. Immediately, Bendy looked betrayed which only made him laugh more and shake his head

“I’m sorry! You’re just naturally funny, it’s in your nature!”

“ _Thanks_ , Henry! Some big help you are…”

“I’m _sorry_ ”

Henry chuckles with a smile still before looking to the rather unfazed Alice, who didn’t find it that funny.

“Right… fine; Maybe we can chat later then, as I just remembered right now I have business to conduct…”

As she’s about to hit the button to drop the shutters and ‘get to work’ on the poor Piper, Bendy reaches out in Henry’s arms shouting 

“WAAAAAIT! DON’T!”

Alice and Henry both looked rather surprised, enough that she stopped in her tracks hand hovering still

“I beg your pardon?”

Bendy struggles out of Henry’s arms then, who tries to grab him up again but fails as Bendy ducks his body while his head floats up out of his grasp; avoiding him, the little demon continues to run over to the glass much to Henry’s dismay

“Don’t- Don’t cut him open, please? I-I know he’s just another monster to you, but he’s not! There’s a soul bit in him!” 

Alice blinks a few times then, not quite understanding but looking fairly curious. By the doorway, Sammy and Boris were peering in again, curious about the hold up

“Wh… whatever do you mean by _soul bit_?”

Bendy walks over to the side the Piper is on then, putting his hands on the glass and frowning as the Piper struggles and gargles nonsense noises at him

“They got soul bits in ‘em from the ink… Probably from all the people who used ta work here. By cuttin’ ‘em open and takin’ those bits, yer killin’ ‘em! They can’t come back!”

Alice leans away from her console then, an eyebrow raised

“Well, isn’t that a good thing? They’re nothing but abominations that aren’t _really_ alive-”

“NO!”

Alice blinks once more, looking a little annoyed at Bendy now, who looked desperate

“No?”

“They don’t deserve to die! They’re- they’re just confused!”

Bendy slowly looks back to the Piper now, almost on the verge of tears making Henry want to hug and comfort him. Alice, however, looked unconvinced while shaking her head

“It’s going to take a _lot_ more than that to convince me not to. I _need_ their parts; without them, i’ll melt! I need to keep myself beautiful!”

Bendy shakes his head this time, giving her a pleading look

“Ya can’t do it forever! Your form is unstable, an’ usin’ soul bits like this is really _really_ bad! The more ya get, the more yer gonna find it harder to stay in one piece! Also, each piece ya use is a bit ‘a someone’s soul- _gone!_ Forever!” 

Sammy and Boris look at one another from the doorway as Henry gently tries to pick Bendy back up into his arms, but he gets gently pushed away. Alice taps her chin in thought, before twirling a knife around behind the glass

“So you’re saying… all the perfect pieces I’ve been using are actually pieces of _souls_? What does that mean? Are they _tainting_ me?”

Bendy sighs and shakes his head once more looking down

“I mean- sorta? Mayne not, but… yer killin’ the people in th’ ink faster, an’ much more permanently- it _can’t_ be good fer yer health, cause all those memories would really clash...”

Alice, for a moment, almost looked as if she felt pity before she starts chuckling, slowly going straight into a full cackle that made Henry feel chills. Bendy’s face seemed to suggest he had a similar feeling. She then leaned forward on the console, squinting at Bendy

“No amount of begging will change my mind. If their souls were so important, they wouldn’t be split up into _disgusting_ creatures that deserve nothing more than to be _torn apart!_ I will be beautiful and whole, whether you like it or _not_ ; this whole ‘soul’ thing doesn’t make sense anyways, so it doesn’t matter to me!”

Bendy looked dismayed then, shoving himself to the glass and banging on it again

“No no no! Please! Th-there has ta be a better way! Ya don’t have ta do this!”

Alice’s chaotic smile slowly dissolved into a skeptical sneer at the little demon, eyeing him with what seemed to be disdain instead of her earlier adoration

“A better way? Hm. How about I cut you a deal, since you’re so desperate to save these… ugly little _things_.”

Walking away from the console in front of the glass where Bendy had his hands, the demon blinked and looked up as Alice crouched so they were almost eye level with one another. Then, waving the tip of her knife at the glass, she continued;

“If you can truly find a better way for me to sustain myself, then I’ll gladly leave your monsters alone. It’s not exactly enjoyable having to hunt down so many anyways… so there. Either bring me a way to keep myself _beautiful_ and i’ll stop, or I keep doing what I have been.”

“R-Really? Ya mean it??”

“Of course! But, there is one thing… since I need a refresher, this one is going to have to die. You’ll have until his parts aren’t working for me anymore… once that’s done, you’re out of time.”

Bendy’s excitement sank into upset as he slides down the glass, looking down again in disappointment

“Oh… b-but-”

“No buts, no alternatives! If you don’t want to overhear, i’d leave…”

She then stood upright again, brushing her hair off her shoulder with a flip before heading to the console. Henry grabs up Bendy successfully this time, holding him close while giving Alice a dirty look she didn’t bother to acknowledge.

“C’mon Bendy… there’s no reasoning with her.”

Alice chuckles at Henry, not seeming fazed by his words, making him shake his head and turn heel to leave the room.


	8. Extra Limbs, Extra Problimbs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being given their tasks, Henry and the others seek out to complete them, only to run into trouble alone the way. When disaster and confusion strike, Henry is surprised to find it strike back in the form of a new encounter; someone they haven't met before in the loop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Warnings: Mild gore, limb severing)

* * *

Huddled around the outside of the elevator now, the group had received their different tasks from Alice, as well as the respective tools for each. Henry had decided they should split up the tasks amongst them to try and get it done faster, but in no way were they going alone.

“Alright, Sammy; you’re with Boris and i’m going with Bendy”

Boris whines, and Sammy huffs crossing his arms

“Why? I would prefer the company of our lord- no offense, Boris- and Boris would prefer _you_. Why do you get to hog all of his company?”

“First of all, he’s not _our_ lord, stop saying that. Second, I know and i’m sorry for Boris, but I have to keep an eye on him...I just.. Have to, okay?”

Sammy gave a snort with what might’ve been a dirty look from behind his mask at that, but Henry would never truly know. Meanwhile, Bendy was sitting nearby on a crate, uninterested and only half-listening; his attention was currently elsewhere and gazing up at the ‘she’s quite a gal!’ sign with some kind of solemn haze around him. Frowning, Henry looks back to the other two

“Besides; I know you two will be able to protect one another. Sammy, no offense, but I don’t… really trust you alone with Bendy. I feel like something would happen… that we all don’t want.”

Shaking his head, Sammy briefly tossed up his arms letting them dramatically fall and pat to his sides

“Fine. But so you know, i’m more of a _cat_ person.”

Boris looks at Sammy with a pout who silently stares back before sighing heavily

“...I _guess_ dogs are _okay_ …”

Boris perked up at that then, smiling happily at him; Henry thinks that if he had a tail, it would definitely be wagging. Sammy was quick to cut in again however,

“Well don’t get too excited. We still have work to do, and… we have to deal with the _other_ lord, who won’t be so kind if he sees us.”

Boris once again looked afraid, whining at Henry who pats his head

“You’ll be fine. Just remember to use the miracle stations, and watch out for each other, okay? Sammy is pretty okay at fighting, so he’ll protect you”

“ _Pretty okay?!_ I’ll have you know I remembered just now that I used to do fencing!”

“... _what??_ ”

“What? My memories come and go, don’t seem so surprised. It just popped up.”

Henry stares silently for a moment, a dumbfounded expression on his face before he shakes his head giving up on it, waving a hand

“Okay, whatever; just… make sure you do your tasks. You’re both in charge of collecting gears and the thick ink. I took the more dangerous ones because I’m used to it and know what to do. Besides… well, you wouldn’t like the chopping cutouts Sammy”

Sammy slumps in response, hanging his head

“So many items of worship- defaced! How cruel to be forced into this… do be delicate, Henry?”

“...I can’t. I kind of have to destroy them, not gently tap them.”

Sammy fake wept a bit before slumping on Boris

“At least me and _Boris_ remain faithful!”

Henry rolls his eyes as Boris looked confused, turning and calling over his shoulder as he walks away from the two now

“Just be careful, okay? I’m going to get on with collecting the power cells first.”

Before that, however, he had to talk to Bendy who was still looking rather disheartened, swinging a foot while sitting on the crate still. 

Henry waits first as the elevator opens, allowing Sammy and Boris inside, the two ascending away and worrying Henry already. He has to tear his attention away for now though, and focus on poor Bendy.

“Hey… how’re you doing?”

Bendy sighs heavily, sinking a bit into his hands as he’d been leaning on them, elbows on his knees

“I dunno… I just feel _bad_. She hurt so many of them… they don’t know what’s goin’ on…”

Henry sits next to him carefully then, looking down at Bendy

“What do you mean by that?”

“The butcher gang? All a’ those Borises? They’re copies of the actual guys, so they’re probably confused… the butcher guys ‘specially ‘cause they’re all _weird_. They ain’t whole, cause somethin’ went wrong… ya notice that? The machine is real good at makin’ Boris, and even a _couple_ Alices an’ me, but _never_ a whole butcher gang member...”

Henry blinks and looks up thinking about that now; it was a curious point

“It’s strange, I suppose. I’ve never seen one that isn’t corrupted… any theories on why that is?”

He turns his attention to Bendy again who simply pouts up at him 

“I dunno?... maybe cause the machine thinks they’re just bad dudes, so it keeps over doin’ it an’ makin’ ‘em all scary. Imprinted wrong or somethin’... but, I coulda swore when that Piper guy _laughed_ that I saw some Charley in there. Y’know, the actual guy an’ not just a clone?”

Henry hums a little ‘hmm’, thinking about it before responding

“I don’t know, Bendy… it could’ve just been that bit of whoever’s soul was in him like you mentioned. If… that’s how it works? I’m still surprised about this ‘soul’ stuff in general, and how you know so much- It’s all too confusing…”

Bendy sits up straighter then, pouting still

“But there’s somethin’ in there, yeah?? That’s all that matters really- havin’ _somethin’_... right? Do ya think we could… save ‘em?”

Henry blinks, staring for a moment before furrowing his brow

“I don’t know, that sounds _really_ dangerous, Bendy. The butcher gang copies are deadly, and don’t seem to respond to anything. They mostly just try killing anything that moves, which sometimes is each other; I’ve seen it.”

Bendy slumps again, looking down

“I know, I just… maybe I could help at least _one_ of ‘em… just _one_ … I feel so bad…”

Henry frowns, gently scooping Bendy in a hug now who clings to him sniffling

“Hey now, it’s not your fault. None of this is. In fact, it’s not even the Ink demon’s fault either; it’s Joey’s. I know you still feel guilty though… I’d be lying if I said I didn’t either.”

Bendy sniffs again, rubbing his face a bit before looking Henry in the eye now

“Really? You feel... guilty?”

“Of course I do. A big part of me can’t help but think that this all could’ve been avoided if I hadn’t left the studio, and stopped Joey from his madness…”

Bendy sniffs again, before huffing a single laugh

“I dunno, Henry… I feel like that woulda been pretty impossible.” 

They both chuckle a little at that before Bendy continues speaking

“I don’t blame ya if that makes ya feel better… ever since I learned there were two creators, and that my anger was on the wrong one, I’ve learned ta hate ya less...”

Henry tilts his head at that, but still smiles a little

“Well, thank you Bendy.”

Holding him quietly for a moment, Henry looks down at Bendy who was still clinging to him

“Alright, we should probably get to work now... and by we, I mean me while you hold on to my back. And, maybe…”

He sighs heavily then, looking up at the ceiling

“ _If_ we come across a lone butcher gang member without the Ink demon around, _maybe_ we can _try_ and help them… if they don’t try to kill us first.”

Bendy perked up then, immediately looking like his woes had disappeared 

“Ya mean it?! Ya really mean it?!”

“Yes, I mean it. But _again_ , ONLY if it doesn’t try to kill us and the Ink demon doesn’t show up.”

Bendy nods excitedly then, hugging Henry tightly with a squeeze that made him wheeze

“O-Okay Bendy, can’t breathe-”

Bendy lets go chuckling and smiling now

“Sorry, I keep forgettin’ yer an old man… Now c’mon, let’s go get some power cores! Then we can smash my own face!”

Henry raises an eyebrow as he lifts Bendy so he can cling to his back

“You sound a little _too_ excited for something like that.”

“What? I think it’s fun, the noise the cardboard makes when it crumbles is funny”

Henry rolled his eyes at that, smiling now

“Yeah, I guess it is pretty funny…”

Pressing the call button on the elevator, Henry looks up as it descends slowly- he makes a face however as Alice speaks to them 

“It’s funny really, how you think that’ll work… I’d say don’t dare drag one of those _filthy wretches_ in here, but i’m convinced you won’t be able to anyways. The idea of saving one is cute though, really.”

Bendy puffs a bit at that, but Henry shakes his head deciding to ignore her for now.

“I wonder how Boris and Sammy are doing…”

Bendy slumps against his shoulder, peering over it as the elevator descends to them, opening with a rattling clank.

“I’m sure they’re fine. Like ya said, Sammy ain’t all bad at fightin’ an’ stuff. He kinda weirds me out though, hehehe”

Henry grins a bit as he selects the right floor, shaking his head

“I’m sure he’s not actually all that bad; it’s just the Ink that’s making him strange. And, well.. The worship thing too, but I blame the ink and Joey for that.”

Bendy nods quietly in thought, both of them watching as the elevator brought them to the right level. As the doors slide open, Henry takes a deep breath and exhale; he knew this level was one of the more dangerous for the fact it was a spawning ground for searchers, and the Ink demon seemed to show up here the most. He once more hoped the Ink demon wouldn’t decide to forget their rules about the miracle stations due to the presence of other Bendy.

Having stood still for a moment too long, Henry’s jolts a bit as Bendy hisses ‘Look!’ while pointing ahead of them; Surely enough, a striker was angrily limping towards them with a power core clutched in its fist. Remembering his promise to try and _not_ kill a lone butcher gang member, he realizes he hadn’t figured what he was going to try otherwise; they didn’t exactly talk, and the area was incredibly unsafe for all of them with the Ink demon able to show up any second.

Bendy, however, took the initiative for him, jumping from his back and running right up to the now confused and startled striker that stops in its tracks, even dropping the power core to take a step back upon seeing Bendy. Henry felt his heart jump to his throat in fear over Bendy’s safety, quickly running over before realizing another thing; they were making quite a bit of noise, which was a big mistake on this floor. 

He instantly slows to a brisk walk to reach Bendy who, after picking up the core, was now trying to take the hand of the Striker who in turn was retaliating by stumbling backwards in fear, garbling loudly and unhappily. Henry grimaces, taking hold of Bendy’s arm before he can chase after, whispering harshly

“ _Bendy!_ We can’t make _noise!_ You’re scaring it and making it get loud!”

Bendy tugs on his arm angrily, giving Henry a pout before whispering back

“I’m tryin’ ta calm him down! I can’t if yer holdin’ me back- Let go!”

“No! He could hurt you, and- _WOAH!_ ”

Henry accidentally yells as he yanks himself and Bendy out of the way of a chair thrown past them by the striker, who was now stamping up and down while gargling angrily, sounding a lot like it was sharing some choice curse words. Bendy ditches the whispering rule to retaliate;

“HEY! Watch it, tooth-head! Unless ya want a nice shiny shoe up your spidery-”

“ _BENDY!_ ”

Bendy puffs his cheeks as the Striker mockingly laughs at him now, only making the little demon pull harder on Henry’s grip

“ _Why I oughtta!-_ ”

With that, shadows flooded the walls and floor as the all too familiar echo of hissing and a heartbeat chorused menacingly with the arrival of the Ink demon. Not waiting now, Henry tries to scoop Bendy but finds this little demon holding onto a desk in protest

“BENDY! Now is NOT the time for this!”

Henry has to hold himself back a bit, his voice on the edge of turning into a shriek as cold fear pumps through him with each heartbeat from the Ink demon. Bendy points at the now shaking and cowering Striker, whining

“We can’t leave him!! He’ll KILL him! You PROMISED!”

Henry, unable to see any better idea, sets down Bendy before running over to the cowering striker and scooping it up with a loud angry shrill from it, running back to the little demon and scooping him too under his other arm without stopping. He does pause however to look for a station, only to go running for the elevator instead when he finds the nearest station was being blocked by the quickly yet slowly approaching Ink demon. Hitting the call button repeatedly, Henry could feel himself sweating as the striker struggles and gargles and Bendy clings so tight he can barely breathe.

Looking up and down the hall, Henry’s eyes lock with the inky grin of the demon who was now racing for them having spotted them, hand outstretched and smiling with cold anger he knew had no happiness behind it. In the moment, it felt as if time was slowing to a stop as the whole calamity of it all was beginning to overwhelm.

Thankfully, the clanking of the arriving elevator snaps him out of it; practically throwing all three of them into the elevator, Henry slams the button to shut the doors desperately as the Ink demon lets out a terrifying sound that was rather indescribable and completely bone chilling. With even more horror, he realizes its arm had gotten jammed into the door and the elevator wasn’t moving due to the door not being shut all the way. Both the striker and Bendy were practically screaming now, making Henry want to do the same, but he had to act; he had to protect Bendy this time around, no matter what.

Running to the door, Henry grimaces as he puts his face right in front of the snarling and twitching teeth of the Ink demon whose arm was desperately grasping at air trying to reach them; Henry in turn takes hold of the metal frame while shoving hard as he can. With immense effort, he feels the door give way and slam shut followed by a different horrible sound from the Ink demon that made tears well up and drip from Henry’s eyes both in fear and something else he couldn’t discern in the moment.

The sound had frozen Henry, until behind him Bendy shrieks horribly as well snapping him back to action as ink sprays over them from the Ink demon’s severed arm, leaving a terrible mess. Slamming his hand on the button labeled 9, Henry looks just in time to see the Ink Demon clutching its severed stump of an arm shaking with rage as the elevator slunk them out of view.

Slowly descending back to level 9, Henry feels himself shaking as more tears continue to burn his eyes and drip to the floor of the elevator. Blinking a few times, he looks down at the arm of the Ink demon, the gloved hand unmoving yet seemingly still dangerous to him regardless as ink bled from where it had been removed. Turning to look around a bit now, he notices Bendy also shaking and spattered in ink like he was, crying all the same and oddly clutching his own arm as well. The striker, on the other hand, simply looked frozen in horrified shock as its cranial mouth was agape and its limbs were clutching to itself as if trying to hug away what it had witnessed.

Slowing to a stop, the elevator doors re-opened to the safer level 9 where Sammy and Boris were waiting. However, as they see the scene before them inside it, more chaos unfolded; Sammy gives a brief shout of surprise, and Boris jumps a foot back practically. Pointing and exasperated trying hard to speak, Sammy stutters

“W-w-what the HELL IS THAT?! YOU BROUGHT THAT WITH YOU?! WAIT- I-IS THAT THE A-A-ARM OF… OH MY LORD! OH, MY BELOVED LORD, NO!”

Wailing in despair now clutching his head and falling to his knees before the arm, Sammy shakily and very delicately lifts the still bleeding limb as he tries to find words. Henry could barely process everything himself before Bendy starts sobbing, drawing his attention again

“...oh my god- Bendy, I am SO sorry- I-I- that’s NEVER happened before! EVER! I-I don’t know what…”

He trails off as the little demon holds out an arm for a hug while sobbing, Henry quickly scooping him up and hushing him now as he comforts him, nuzzling his cheek and rubbing his back.

“Shhh, it’s okay now, we’re safe… he won’t hurt you.. We’re alright now..”

The striker, on the other hand, was slowly regaining itself from shock, now looking as if it felt rather awkward in the situation. Boris and it slowly make eye contact, both of them not quite wanting to apprehend the other while everyone else was ‘busy’. To top it all off, a voice chimes over the speakers now

“Well. _That_ was absolutely a spectacle of… _something_? I still want my parts though, and you’re making a mess of my elevator- WHAT IS THAT? YOU ACTUALLY BROUGHT ONE DOWN?! HOW _DARE_ YOU! HOW DARE YOU BRING TAINTED MONSTERS INTO _MY_ DOMAIN! I WILL HAVE YOU KNOW-”

Henry feels irritated hearing Alice berate them after what happened, but he decides that she was right about her parts at least; stopping everything wasn’t going to get them anywhere, but they did need a moment to figure this out. 

Bendy rubs his eyes now, starting to calm down a bit when Henry notices something _else_. He could feel ink pouring on him from somewhere… and it wasn’t the arm Sammy was groveling over. Looking down, he notices Bendy’s left arm like the Ink demon’s was bleeding ink, and he was holding it as it looked rather limp. Horrified at the injury, Henry quickly sits down with him holding his arm now

“What happened to your arm?! I-It looks broken!”

Bendy shivers repeatedly, holding it a bit more tightly now looking down

“I-I just… I-it happened in the whole blur of stuff! I’m okay, just.. N-need to reform it.”

Henry was about to dive into fretting over the little demon, but Boris’ sudden whining makes him look up and find the source of his unease; the striker was fully recovered and now looking rather grouchy and unfond of them. Sweating a bit, Henry holds Bendy close to him with one arm as the demon continues sniffling, holding his other hand up in a cautious gesture

“Hey… I just _saved_ you from the Ink demon. Please don’t get hasty now-”

Unfortunately for them, the striker was anything but cooperative. Angrily yelling, it rather comically jumps off of Sammy’s head (who yelps and falls forward onto the floor where he’d been kneeling) before running straight for Alice’s door now. 

The striker’s desperate sprint for her front door baffled Henry, who merely watched as said angel began screeching over her com

“KILL IIIIIT! DESTROY IT BEFORE IT REACHES MY DOOR! I WILL _NOT_ LET THAT _THING_ IN HERE!”

None of the four moved or listened to her screaming commands however, which resulted in her somehow yelling louder making all four flinch; but what she commanded next made Henry _really_ question what was happening to this version of their repeated loop;

“EDGAR! GET OUT THERE AND DISPATCH THAT FILTHY ROTTEN COPY!”

From above somewhere Henry couldn't discern, a rather posh sounding voice responded:

“Yes, my angel!”

Without warning, a black blur dropped from above, slamming the striker hard into the flooring with a screech before an arm drew back and slammed it again into an explosion of ink. Staring in awe, Henry couldn’t believe his eyes as what seemed to be a _second_ striker stood tall from where it had landed, dusting itself off from the ink of the one it had just dispatched. As it turned, he could barely catch a glimpse of it as a bright light from Alice’s door had silhouetted it; where its human eye had been was an eyepatch, and the mouth on top of its head was the one stitched instead. Almost as if humorously trying to imitate bendy, it was also wearing a bowtie but with heart shaped loops instead.

The group silently stared back at the glaring striker, who after a few more moments of silence, scoffs before speaking once more in a voice that sounded far too sophisticated for it:

“You know staring is rather _rude_. Not to mention your lack chivalry to protect a fair dame in need!”

Henry tries to speak, but can’t find words; instead, Alice decides to answer the question all of them were thinking conveniently

“ _This_ is Edgar… consider him a… _pet project_ of mine. He and two others of course. I found it funny you mentioned _saving_ copies earlier because, well… I tried something _similar_ , but for different reasons.”

Bowing with a flourish now, Edgar speaks again

“I hope my services have pleased you, my Angel; I do apologize for having to show myself…”

“Dire situations call for dire actions, but you are right; I’d rather _not_ see you. Away with you now, and DO try to keep those others in line!”

“As you command, fair Angel!”

With that, Edgar fires some kind of device from one of his wrists (that Henry realizes was a grapple) before ascending back into the mysterious darkness of the ceiling above where he’d come from. 

Bendy then bursts out making the other three flinch once more

“WHO THE HECK WAS THAT?!”

Laughter echoes now from Alice’s speakers, who seemingly was enjoying their confusion; while she speaks, Henry decides to help Bendy’s arm by tearing a bit of his shirt off to wrap it.

“He was an ugly little wretch I decided to give mercy to just like you all… only I had to _fix_ a few things about him first. He’s not perfect, but having someone serve is better than doing the dirty work myself and risking the Ink demon…”

Bendy winces as Henry gently finishes wrapping his arm and tightens it, the demon looking up as if he could somehow see Alice when talking to her

“Ya took a striker an’ just… helped him out?? What’d ya do ta him??”

“Well, you probably won’t like the answer… but I suppose you’ve earned it; at least, Sammy and _Boris_ who did some work for me so far earned it. It’s simple, really… I collected enough dead ones before using them to ‘fix’ a live one enough that he wasn’t a driveling _idiot_ bent on being disgusting.”

She chuckles then, before continuing

“Though, he is still rather _disgusting_ being so impure _…_ which is why he and the other two are under strict order to work purely where none will see them.”

Henry makes a face at that, thinking he and the others were probably in agreement on how disturbingly cruel that seemed. Though it was certainly surprising and something he’d never somehow encountered before, he felt they didn’t have a lot of time to process it; Alice had been hiding butcher gang members she… ‘fixed’? And they were secretly working for her? Henry knew they’d have to look into it later somehow, given they weren’t caught by the Ink demon first.

Speaking of which, Henry turns and watches as Sammy gasps over the Ink demon’s arm dissolving away into plain ink through his hands, Boris now patting his shoulder. Bendy shakes his head giving a shrug before holding his own arm

“I don’t know why you’re snivellin’ over an arm… Sure, ol’ Inky is gonna be grumpy about it, but he’s made a’ _ink_. It’ll grow back. Buuuut, Henry, ya mighta just signed a death pact…”

Henry shakes his head, not looking fazed by the thought. He also found Bendy’s comment over the Ink demon’s arm ironic, considering _he’d_ just been crying over his own arm.

“I already did that the day I set foot in this hell. Can’t be much worse, right?”

Bendy makes a face at that slowly shrugging his shoulders

“Iiii wouldn’t be so quick ta say somethin’ like that and jinx things…”

Henry gives him a desperate look now

“Please don’t tell me I made things worse?”

Bendy holds both hands up in a shrug now, giving Henry a meek apologetic smile at his plight

“He may or may not be a little more… aggressive atcha now. Can’t say for sure but he ain’t gonna be happy.”

Sammy gets up then shaking Henry by his shoulders roughly

“Well of COURSE he isn’t happy!! You MAIMED our LORD!! Why did you EVER perceive that as a GOOD IDEA???”

Henry whacks Sammy’s hands off of him trying to stop himself from falling over, getting dizzy for a moment before holding his head giving him a disgruntled look

“Sammy, for the love of everything not soiled by _ink_ ; stop saying _our_ lord. And I didn’t purposefully do that! The whole situation was chaotic, and everyone was panicking, and just… not great. I had no choice; it was shut the elevator, or all of us- well, Bendy and I since that striker died anyways- would have died.”

Sammy grasps his shoulders again, firmly pulling them face to smiling Bendy mask as he apparently stares into Henry’s eyes for a long, awkwardly silent moment that even makes Bendy cough to try and break it. Henry raises his eyebrows, deciding to put up with it when Sammy finally speaks;

“...Fine. I believe you. But you still hurt him, and now it’s going to be a lot harder to appease him to our side!”

Finally letting go of Henry, Sammy sighs while shaking his head; Henry also sighs at that, turning to look at Bendy now

“He’s probably right, but we still have to keep pushing through if we’re going to even _get_ to that point. Meaning…”

The other three all groan in response making Henry almost crack a small smile

“...we have to finish the tasks. This time though, no messing around; and Bendy? You’re staying right here with Boris while me and Sammy go instead.”

Bendy perks up then, frowning

“What?! No way! I wanna help!”

Henry shakes his head frowning back at him

“It’s too dangerous, especially now that your arm is hurt. And Boris… well, both of you really shouldn’t be running around the Ink demon like this.”

Sammy crosses his arms, shaking his own head now

“Apparently not _me_ though…”

Henry rolls his eyes before kneeling in front of Bendy holding him by his shoulders now, but gently

“Bendy, listen to me… I’ve done this alone many times before; i’ll be fine. I just want to make sure we get this done quickly and safely as possible, okay? Is it alright if I do that?”

Bendy frowns still, but looks down and nods before clutching him suddenly in a hug. Despite flinching, Henry happily hugs him back

“I’ll be back before you know it, okay? Stay safe little buddy…”

Bendy huffs, but smiles a little at him as he mumbles

“‘M not little… you’re just over sized.”

Henry snorts a bit, ruffling the little demon’s head before standing up and turning to Sammy

“Alright… let’s get to work.”

Sammy sighs and nods after a moment

“Fine; but only because it keeps my lord safe… and, well… I guess Boris too.”

Boris perked up at that, smiling at Sammy who refuses to look at him now acting aloof; Henry smiles, glad to see the group was slowly bonding in their own way despite everything. The more Sammy seemed to grow closer, the more Henry felt there was truly hope for everyone here, as watching the once bitter and ruthless music director slowly but surely open up meant perhaps the others could change too.

Turning to the elevator then, Henry hits the button to open it with a slightly shaky sigh, thinking about the Ink demon and Bendy’s warning; he hoped even more that he hadn’t made a grave mistake in his panicked haste earlier.

“Alright, Sammy… let’s get this going”


	9. Three’s Company, and It’s a Crowd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having a lot of free time and boredom, Bendy bothers Alice until he's allowed to meet the striker from before. Granted an audience, he meets a couple others by surprise before giving their new 'friends' an unfortunate idea involving him and Boris.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (No warnings necessary)

* * *

Sighing, Bendy continues the pacing he had started when the other two left, walking past Boris who was now sitting on a chest by some voice recorder that had a guy complaining about the the elevator and preferring to take the stairs. Out of curiosity, Boris had played it, but its message made Bendy worry about Henry and surprisingly Sammy as well (as much as he wouldn’t admit it). What was taking them so long? What if they didn’t come back? What if Alice decided to come out and take them when the others were away, and who was to say they could fight her off?

Boris, of course, wasn’t much help as he didn’t really give much conversation; Bendy wasn’t sure why, but it seemed the guy couldn’t talk at all. Maybe he was shy? Or just didn’t have the capability? Either way, those questions added on to the many, many others nagging his mind that were making the little demon rather irate. His agitated pacing at least wasn’t bothering Boris it seemed, as he hadn’t tried to stop him for the past ten minutes now.

Throwing his arms up finally having exhausted himself on the pacing, Bendy lets out a long groan of agitation before flopping down next to Boris on the chest, who looks down at him questioningly.

“This sucks! I don’t know what’s going on, an’ i’m worried, an’ bored, an’ just- ugh! Why can’t we do anything, huh? Why’re we just the dumb ol’ cartoon characters who can’t protect ourselves?? We’ve been here as long as ‘em, right?”

Bendy looks up to Boris, who gives him a shrug before turning his attention to Alice’s ‘She’s quite a gal!’ sign, frowning. Bendy follows his gaze, huffing now

“Yeah, I don’t much like her either. An’ I know she can hear me, but I want her to!”

Boris whines a little, clearly not wanting to start something with the already not-so-friendly angel who had maimed many others for her personal gain. Bendy stares at him for a moment before sighing yet again, slumping his chin into both hands while leaning forward with an angry pout 

“Yeah, yeah… you don’t want me gettin’ inta trouble while they’re gone… I just feel so… useless! I want ta do _somethin’_ ta help, y’know??”

Boris rubs his chin at that before hopping up off the chest, making Bendy blink and follow him with his gaze as the friendly wolf walks over to Alice’s door. Promptly hopping up and scurrying after him, Bendy looks up at him in confusion

“What? What’re ya thinkin’, pal?”

Boris looks directly upwards at the ceiling, making Bendy do the same, but he practically rolls backwards in the process from it with a loud ‘oof!’. Quickly running back over rubbing the back of his head, Bendy gives him a curious look before looking up once more

“What? What’re ya starin’ up at?”

Boris points up before looking down to Bendy, who squints in confusion for a while until he slowly remembers earlier with the encounter they’d had with the striker Alice had claimed she’d ‘saved’. Eyes widening a bit then, Bendy nods in understanding

“Right! That guy! You think while we’re waitin’ we could get a chance ta talk to ‘im?”

Before Boris can answer (not that he likely would have anyways), the speakers over the door blare the not too pleased sounding voice of Alice

“Don’t even _think_ about messing with him! He’s not some fun little ‘friend’ you can take on adventures with you; he belongs to me, and serves only _me_. So Don’t even think about it!”

Bendy makes a face at the door then, kicking it pointlessly before hopping a bit holding his foot

“Yer not the boss of me, toots! If I wanna say hi, I’ll find a way! Besides, yer not really much of an angel to ‘im anyways!”

“I’ll have you _know_ I’m the one who rescued and GAVE him his life! If you think you can convince him to disobey me, you’d be wrong. Don’t make me have to do something about your _attitude_ ”

Boris whines again, looking like he was regretting bringing the topic up at all now; Bendy had said he’d stay out of mischief, but that clearly wasn’t going to happen now. Pulling an eyelid down at the door and sticking out his tongue, the demon instead readily mocks her

“I ain’t scared of ya! What are ya my mom?! Gonna send me to my room fer disobeyin’ yer stupid rules?”

Boris pulls on his ears now, whining even louder leaning his head back in despair as Alice scoffs over the speakers

“You know short stack, you’re not really in a position of _power_ here. I could _very_ easily have them simply bring you to me…”

Internally, Bendy knew it was a really bad idea and he was slightly afraid of her actually; With what she’d been doing to all those Boris clones and others, he wasn’t super eager to find out how she’d use his parts. Stuffing his pride down was going to be nigh impossible however, so he figures he’d better derail the conversation before it took a turn for the worse and he accidentally got Boris or himself hurt; Henry would _not_ be happy about that, and frankly, neither would he.

“Ya see, ya _could_ … or you could just lemme talk to the guy. I’m not tryin’ ta turn him or anything! I just wanna talk is all! Would it _really_ hurt?”

He thinks ‘he’s practically brainwashed anyways, the poor sucker’ but refrains from saying it out loud.

“Hmm… I’m not sure. Henry has been _trying_ things… and I’m not sure if you’re going to play lackey and try and do the same for him”

Bendy snorts and waves a hand as if the idea was ridiculous and not completely accurate 

“What?! What am I, some cartoon puppet just cause he made me?! I’m all about breakin’ outta that mold, lady! Now can I talk ta him or what? I’m bored outta my mind sittin’ out here…”

Alice gives a long ‘hmmmmm’ of thought over the speakers, Boris sweating nervously and tugging on his ears before she sighs

“Fine. But only under a few conditions!”

“Conditions, ey? Spoken like the devil himself! What kinda conditions, then?”

“You’re not to speak to him where I can _see_ him, but you’re not allowed out of my listening range. You’re also not to try any funny business about _converting_ him, or whatever you might try. One more thing…”

“Oh boy, here it comes…”

“I’d like to speak to you, one on one. _Alone_. There’s some things i’d like to discuss with you…”

Bendy blinks, nervously tugging his bowtie a bit as Boris whines rather loudly this time and shakes his head at him. Bendy gives him a desperate shrug

“Hey, I don’t know how else to get her to let us talk to ‘im! It can’t be… _all_ bad, right?”

Boris clasps his hands together then, shaking them in a begging gesture he knew meant ‘ _please for the love of Henry, don’t do this, it’s a REALLY bad idea_ ’. Unfortunately for Boris, Bendy was the incarnation of a bad idea so there was no way he was going to back out of this; common sense never stopped him before, and it certainly wouldn’t now. 

“Aw c’mon buddy, you’re over worryin’! It’ll be fine, I can take her; promise!”

He holds up one hand crossing his ‘heart’ with the other in the gesture, but Boris was unconvinced with a rather unamused look on his face as he knew the little devil most certainly didn’t make worthy promises. Bendy gives him the most innocent smile he can, batting his eyes- but Boris’ attitude didn’t change. Waving a hand at him dismissively, Bendy turns back to the door putting his hands on his hips

“Fine. But only when Henry gets back! I ain’t the _only_ one here who likes conductin’ funny business! I know it when I see it, cause i’m a cartoon!”

Bendy snickers at his own bad joke, but Alice gives him an irritated huff clearly not wanting Henry to interfere with whatever she was planning.

“Fine. As long as you speak to me alone and they stay outside of my sanctuary”

Bendy shrugs, while Boris next to him slaps both hands over his face in exasperation at the recklessness; what could he say? The guy wasn’t much of a talker and probably wasn’t keen on getting physical either, from what it seemed.

“Sooo, when do I get ta meet that striker an’ where?”

Alice sighs loudly over the speakers before responding

“Edgar, it seems you have… _company_ eager to meet you. Take them into your ‘office’ and don’t run off!”

From their left and up behind the banister near a Bendy statue, that familiar posh voice calls out “Yes, my Angel!”, making Bendy and Boris both practically snap their heads in that direction; the rather unfriendly looking face of the striker was now looking down on them. Scoffing then, he pipes up again;

“Well, don’t stand there, you heard her; come into my office if you are to speak with me.”

With that, he backs out of view making Bendy eager to run up and talk to him; which he essentially does, bolting across the bridge excited to have something to do and someone to talk to who wouldn’t just groan at everything he said. Hopefully. Boris quickly runs after him, not wanting to be left alone (especially near Alice) wheezing to keep up with Bendy’s speed.

Reaching the statue, Bendy can see the door that was previously locked next to it was now open to a rather sizable storage room full of vents and pipes, as well as miscellaneous furniture and objects. Walking in slowly and glancing around to take in the scenery, he notices Boris caught up and was doing the same; Bendy turns to him giving a grin

“See? This ain’t so bad! Now, where’d he go…”

The door shuts suddenly causing both of them to flinch and turn, seeing the Striker in front of it. Stepping forward into better lighting, Bendy gets a full proper look at him now mouth gaping a little at the sight before him. The striker’s humanoid eye had been removed and stitched shut, now covered with a black eyepatch that had a white bendy head silhouette on it. The mouth atop his head had been sewn shut with thick thread that could almost pass as a small rope, unable to fully cover the teeth but holding them firmly shut. His actual mouth had been freed of its stitches, but scars crossed over it where they had been as well as two rather sharp looking fangs now hanging out. To top it all off, he was wearing a bowtie just like him but with heart shaped loops instead of straight.

“Wow… you’re… somethin’ else alright”

The striker huffs, fixing his bowtie a little before walking through the two over to a table with three chairs, promptly sitting down gesturing for them to do the same.

“I would certainly hope I am; my fair Angel saved me from being a mindless violent _heathen_ like the rest, wandering around aimlessly and garbling nonsense… I am far from perfect, but at the very least I have enough of my mind back to understand what i am doing.”

Bendy makes a face at him, shaking his head

“It’s not their faults! The machine is just… makin’ ‘em wrong. They can’t help it.”

The striker huffs a small sound of amusement, turning to look at him questioningly

“I cannot be sure if it is producing them _wrong_ or simply like that on purpose... either way, I am much more comfortable having sapience”

Bendy leans forward, incredibly interested by the striker but Boris seems uncomfortable and a little untrusting even; how ironic, he thinks, as usually it was him who got scared.

“So… are ya the real Edgar? Or just some copy? Ya sure talk more ‘proper’ soundin’ than the Edgar I knew...”

At that, the striker seemed rather offended

“Copy?! Absolutely _not_! I do not know _who_ I am, but I assure you i am no cartoon villain _copy_. Since I cannot remember my name however, I simply decided to use this one in its place.”

Bendy felt confused at that, resting his chin in his hand now while looking at him

“So you’re not the Edgar I used to know… guess that explains the weirdly fancy voice”

Edgar blinks at him before looking a little concerned

“Is my voice really that strange? And what do you mean the Edgar you _knew_?”

Bendy smiles sitting up then bouncing on his chair a little, Boris flinching a bit at first from the sound before sighing through his nose at him

“Well, the old Edgar I knew in my cartoon world was real annoyin’! High pitched voice ‘n was a total weenie! I guess your voice isn’t actually bad, just unexpected for someone who looks like ya”

Edgar seemed a little awed at his words, sitting up straighter looking at him

“Really?? Then you must be _the_ Bendy, and it is true that there are more worlds than our own and this one… interesting indeed. Though, that aside, may I ask why you were so eager to see me?...”

Bendy stops bouncing then, frowning a bit with a sigh

“Well i was hopin’ you mighta been the _real_ Edgar, but I guess it might be for the best ya ain’t… wouldn’t want them dragged in here even if they’re crooks… but also cause you’re way better than him! Wait… then that’s bad you’re here- i’m confusin’ myself...”

Edgar looked like he was going to say something, but one of the vents clang with the sound of someone crawling through it before another strange sight pops out of it before them; a Piper who was changed similarly like Edgar. Bendy looks to Edgar then, asking;

“Is he like you?? ‘Saved’ by Alice or whatever?”

Edgar grins then, leaning back a bit

“Why, heavens yes! She is most merciful to have brought our group together! _This_ is-”

“CHARLEY! Nice to meet ya demon! Edgar, why didn’t ya say anything about company _huh_?!”

Bendy grimaces a little as does Boris, who covers his ears from how loud Charley was being. Edgar seems to think the same as he gives him a dirty look

“ _Please_ stop yelling, it’s rather _uncouth!_ ”

Charley snorts at that, walking closer now so that Bendy could get a proper look at him; his jaw had been stitched back to its normal length and reset, he had an identical eyepatch to Edgar’s, and his beady eye was now more pie-cut and cartoony- yet still shiny. The plunger he had for a leg apparently had the rubber cup removed (likely to be more dignified), and his missing hand now sported a rather dangerous looking hatchet head attached to it. Bendy was rather impressed by how well Alice had done to make him not look horrifying and disgusting like Pipers typically did.

“I can’t help it, Ed! It’s in my nature to be loud!”

“For the Angel’s sake, stop calling me _Ed_. My name is Edgar! And you _can_ help it, you simply choose _not_ to…”

Bendy snorts, finding the bickering between the two rather amusing; it reminded him a lot of the old butcher gang, and Sammy and Henry somewhat. Boris, on the other hand, didn’t seem to find comfort in this as he looked rather uncomfortable with them.

“Ah fine, you’re always stiff on the whole ‘proper’ attitude, hah! Anyways, how’s it goin’ fellas?”

Charley swings his hatchet hand out to them, making both Flinch back in their seats to avoid the blade before the piper realizes his mistake

“Whoops, sorry there! Wrong hand!”

Charley swings his non-lethal hand over then, which Bendy takes and shakes with a big grin of amusement; now _this_ guy he could get behind, being funny and laidback.

“Well, I _was_ pretty bored an’ annoyed, but I think you guys are pretty interestin’. This is my buddy Boris, an’ i’m Bendy! Actual, real, 100% devilishly, irresistibly, handsome and funny Bendy! Not that murderous gloop-head who looks like a garbage disposal clog come to life”

Charley busts quite a hearty laugh at that, slapping his knee which elicits an eye-roll from Edgar who speaks now

“You are _/so/_ unmannered…”

Charley snorts at him, still grinning quite big with rather menacing looking teeth

“In your eyes maybe, but i’m great at makin’ folks feel welcome! Right, fellas?”

Bendy chuckles a bit with a nod, but Boris shakes his head frowning making Edgar gesture right at him with his mechanical arm extending to exaggerate the motion (making the poor nervous wolf flinch again)

“See?! You’re upsetting him! Quiet down and give me your report.”

Charley rolls his eye now before giving off some kind of report that Bendy leans in to hear out of curiosity

“Lower travel decks’re still flooded after that pipe busted, Barley is havin’ a _real_ field day tryin’ to get some hold on it. As for the halls, I tried to get more wires but get this- REALLY, get this- out comes a swollen searcher, all mouth hangin’ and groaning mindlessly, and he just starts EATIN’ them all!”

Edgar makes a disgusted face at that, but Bendy had tuned it out having heard the other name more than anything

“WAIT. Barley? Where is he? Can I see ‘im???”

Charley smiles, but Edgar shakes his head giving a stern look crossing his arms pompously

“No, you may not. He is very busy, and not much for company anyways; prefers to be alone most of the time.”

Charley shrugs, waving his hatchet near Boris on accident in gesture again which makes the wolf decide to pickup his chair and move to Bendy’s other side.

“Barley ain’t bad company! He’s just quiet and shy; likes workin’ with his hands more than chattin’, but he likes it when I sing for him!”

Charley beams rather proudly about that, but Edgar’s face suggests he didn’t quite like the idea. Bendy leans on the table once more, looking at them curiously

“So you three are a group an’ all, workin’ fer the angel… Whaddya do for her exactly?”

Edgar grins then, seeming keen on the subject, cutting in before Charley can open his loud mouth again

“Well you see, we’re her crew in charge of keeping everything in shape and running for her beauty; we collect, repair, and perform menial tasks her fairness is far too good for.”

Charley nods, smiling and adding

“She’s not unable to do the dirty work, just prefers us to! By the by, have ya seen a swollen searcher full of wires? That splotcher stole my work…”

Bendy shakes his head, still smiling at them; listening to them talk was rather entertaining, and frankly, also helping him keep his mind off of worrying about Henry. Mostly. Charley sighs in disappointment, shaking his head now

“Well that’s a shame… I’m gonna have to try and find that feller somewhere. It seemed like he was doing it on purpose almost!”

Edgar squints a bit then, sitting up straighter with a rather disgruntled look

“Wait; you said a _swollen_ searcher? And he took _wires_? You don’t think that _projector head_ took them, do you? He skulks on their level sometimes, and this wouldn’t be the FIRST time he’s stolen from our angel!”

Charley looks like he’s thinking rather hard about it, but Bendy speaks before he can finish

“Wait- projector head?? Ya mean the projectionist? What’s he been doin’, and whaddya know about him??”

Edgar blinks, turning to him while looking rather skeptical about his words

“Hm? How do you know about him, first?”

Bendy blinks back at that before leaning back and smiling innocently, Boris giving him a pleading look to not say something dumb while Charley also blinks silently in curiosity

“Well, it’s kinda complicated… ya see, Henry has been doin’ a lot of stuff an’ I learn from him! So yeah.”

Edgar and Charley exchange a look before Edgar keeps squinting at him, looking even more skeptical now

“And how, pray tell, does this _Henry_ fellow know about him if they have yet to go to the abyss? The projectionist does not tarry about in plain view, and certainly has not since your arrival...”

Bendy blinks yet again, his nervous grin becoming a straight line as he can physically feel the awkward tension settle around them; he thinks how a good record scratch would have been rather fitting for the moment, especially with Boris shaking his head in his hands now.

“Uh… that’s… even harder to explain.”

Edgar hops onto the table then, pulling some kind of sword from the ceiling they’d somehow failed to see hiding there before aiming it at Bendy, who flails while nearly falling backwards out of his chair if it weren’t for Boris who caught it. The sword was right under his chin now, though Bendy notes he didn’t really have a neck so it was kind of pointless; no less intimidating, though. Charley simple shakes his own head, arms crossed looking unamused at his companion who finally speaks again;

“You better explain yourself regardless! You are becoming rather suspicious, and any threat to our angel _will_ be eliminated! Are you conspiring with him??”

“Yeesh, relax pally! Yah don’t gotta point that over-glorified knife at me, I ain’t got sealed lips or anythin’! And _no_ ; I don’t work for _nobody!_ No creators, no camera heads, nobody!”

Bendy touches the tip of the sword delicately with a finger, pushing it away while leaning the chair back onto its feet giving Edgar a dirty look

“Look; This place is rigged, alright? Every time Henry gets to the end, it just resets, an’ everythin’ you’ve done happens all over again! It’s s’pposed to, because… well, I don’t know why; it just does. So, me an’ Henry remember stuff but you guys don’t! I still don’t know why but- that’s all! That’s how I know!”

Edgar lowers the sword finally, looking confused and not entirely convinced, but Charley slaps a hand to his forehead loudly proclaiming 

“THAT’S why! I told ya, Ed! I’ve been gettin’ all kinds of weird deja vu all over the place!”

Edgar looks disgruntled about the nickname again, but ignores it this time

“You do not know that! They could be lying! If this loop _really_ exists, then how come you did not know about us?”

Bendy grins once more then, leaning an arm on the table with a sly look

“That’s the thing! Things are changin’ finally from what they always were! We’re gonna get outta here, i’m sure of it! You guys didn’t exist before, so the fact you’re here now is pretty amazin’~ Henry’s plannin’ ta break it so we can go home!”

Edgar and Charley both stare then, not looking too comfortable about that. Bendy blinks, looking between the two in confusion

“What?”

Edgar hops back off the table, sighing

“If what you say really _is_ true, then… well, if your whole loop theory works but your plans to _stop it_ fail... would we not be erased when it resets to the ‘normal’ version, which exists without us?”

Bendy frowns at that, shaking his head

“No! It won’t this time; i’m sure of it! I ain’t gonna let anyone get erased! Not you, Not Charley, Not Boris!”

Boris blinks at the mention, looking up from a can of soup he’d found and been indulging in. Charley laughs while Edgar gives him a dirty look

“Hey! That is _our_ food supply!”

Boris sweats while Bendy cackles at him, teasing now

“Good goin’, pal. Now you’re the one causin’ trouble!”

Thankfully for Boris, another clanking from the vents draws everyone’s attention as, surprisingly to all of them, the fisher they’d mentioned earlier shows up. Struggling to get out of the vent, he huffs before straightening himself onto his feet, adjusting his head which had been wrapped around its pole to sit on a small stand built on it to keep it from swinging. He adjusts a little sailor hat resting on top of his head, as well as a pipe balanced in his teeth before blinking at Bendy with a similarly now pie-cut eye instead of empty socket. Unlike the other two, he hadn’t been changed too majorly; his head lacked any round bubble-like sores and his ‘Liar’ belt was replaced with a rather used tool belt. Currently, he was also very dirty being covered in ink and what looked like soot. 

Charley beams then, giving a loud ‘Hah-HAH!’ that makes the poor fisher jump a little, patting him so roughly it makes him stumble forward and have to catch his sailor hat. Edgar huffs at that, chiming in

“Be gentle on him, Charley! We are not invulnerable to your rough housing!”

Charley chuckles, turning to look at the fisher again

“Sorry there, Barley; just happy to see ya out of hiding for once!”

Barely shrugs at him, before turning once more to Boris and Bendy, looking a bit nervous and unhappy at their presence; Edgar intervenes upon seeing his reaction

“Do not fear, good friend; they’re here under the angel’s permission. They’re harmless, as far as I can tell… not really much of fighters”

Barley looks at him for a long moment before turning to Bendy who was giving him a suggestive look with an eyebrow waggle that makes the fisher look uncomfortable; in return, Bendy laughs but gets elbowed by Boris who gives him a scornful look

“Whaaaaat? I’m not doin’ anythin’ wrong!”

Barley then does something that must’ve been unusual, as the other two both lean in closer looking surprised; he speaks. His voice was very calm and quiet, like his personality they had mentioned;

“...The leak is sealed. Going to take time to drain, could be a few days. Overloaded gauge broke.”

Charley once more lets out a loud laugh of cheeriness, roughly pulling poor Barley to his side who frantically catches his hat once again. Even Edgar this time was smiling however as he sits up straighter; Bendy thinks how if he sat any straighter he’d turn into a literal pole.

“Well, that is truly wonderful news! Soon we will be able to access much needed supplies. As for the missing wiring thanks to that searcher…”

Bendy snaps his fingers then, accidentally commanding everyone’s attention to him

“Right! The Projectionist! What’s he been doin’?? yah never told me!”

Edgar sighs, shaking his head a bit

“Fine; I suppose it matters not if you know. He has been taking materials our fair angel requires, and most _certainly_ on purpose to spite her! What he plans to use them for we know not, but he has quite aggressively nearly taken our lives several times! Whatever the reasoning, he has tried to stop us from our tasks on many occasions, even going as far as _training_ _searchers_ to help him!”

Bendy snorts at that, giving a smirk

“What? Sounds like a classic case of a feud, if ya ask me! She do anythin’ ta set ‘im off?”

Edgar huffs, looking ruffled at that

“Never! Our fairest, most beautiful, and perfect angel has _never_ done wrong! It is that _foul_ ink lurking heathen who has wronged _her!_ ”

Bendy puffs a sigh, rolling his eyes

“Sure don’t sound like it… what happened between ‘em anyways?”

Charley snorts then, still keeping his arm around Barley who was carefully organizing and wiping tools off from his belt

“He’s been stealing from angel even before we were around, so we don’t entirely know why they hate each other; we just know they do. We’ve tried gettin’ her stuff back from him, but no dice! The guy hates our kind! Kills any butcher gang copies like no tomorrow just for fun.”

Barley frowns then, nodding a little

“He’s scary…”

Edgar nods himself then, looking Bendy in the eye

“You wouldn’t happen to know a good way around him, would you?”

Bendy blinks then, rubbing his chin in thought which makes Boris look rather nervous

“Weeeeelll.. Henry usually is the one she sends ‘cause he’s really sneaky and good at his job. Sometimes, depending on how he’s feelin’, he’ll just light up the guy an’ off ‘im. So I guess killin’ ‘im is _one_ way…”

Charley snorts at that, giving a bitter grin

“We’ve tried that; backfired badly, took us a while to recover. Got any other ideas?”

Bendy taps his chin once more, Boris leaning in and whining, but he ignores him

“Besides sneakin’ ‘round or killin’ ‘im...I guess sick ‘im on someone else for a distraction?”

At that, all three of the gang look at Bendy who blinks before the slow dawning realization hits him, and his eyes shrink a little

“...Yer gonna use me fer bait now, aintcha?...”

All three of the butcher gang smirk at him now, Boris whining quietly as he clutches Bendy who clutches back sweating

“Y’know Boris, sometimes I really need ta learn that whole ‘think before ya speak’ thing Henry is always suggestin’ ta me…”

Boris nods at that as the butcher gang members drew various weapons (besides charley who simply raises his hatchet arm), slowly closing in on the quivering two. Bendy looks up at Boris then, who looks at him with desperation

“Might I just say, from the _bottom_ of my devilish soulless lack of a heart: my bad.”


	10. You’ve Barely Got a Friend In Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Sammy and Henry arrive at the Abyss to complete the last task, things don't quite go as expected; When things go south for Henry, Sammy needs to think fast...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Choking sort of (very brief and mild description- and no, it's not like THAT.)
> 
> NOTE: Sorry for the delayed upload; due to holidays and health problems the schedule is going to be a bit sporadic from here on. Thank you for your patience!

* * *

Having completed the other two tasks (much to Sammy’s dismay over the cardboard Bendys), Henry and Sammy were now on their way to the Inky abyss which he really wasn’t looking forward to. He’d figured that there was enough evil around without repeatedly killing the projectionist, especially since it was avoidable (not to mention what the Ink demon always did to him later regardless), so he’d be a dangerous obstacle in the next task.

Sighing, Henry looks over to Sammy who was currently idly fiddling with one of his suspenders straps. He didn’t have a weapon anymore, as the ‘angel’ only permitted them the one pipe Henry usually took alone. After a moment, Sammy notices he’s being looked at so he turns his attention over

“What? What’re you staring at me for?”

“Not staring… just thinking.”

Sammy silently stares back for a moment, before speaking again

“Alright then, what’re you thinking?”

“Do you know the projectionist?” 

Sammy starts suddenly, looking taken aback at the question which makes Henry even more curious

“Projectionist?... I… well..”

He looks off into the distance through the elevator’s doors before they slowly arrive at the lower level. Henry continues;

“He’s got a projector for a head? Walks around in ink, screams and kills anything he sees?”

Sammy snorts a bit, shaking his head

“Alright; when you said projectionist, I don’t think we had the same thing in mind… I thought you meant the _actual_ projectionist from the studio…”

Henry frowns, staring for real now

“Sammy… I do mean the actual projectionist. He was turned into an ink-corrupted form like you.”

Sammy’s demeanor drops then as the doors clank open

“Ah… I see. That’s... rather unfortunate. I feel like I should feel worse about it, but I can’t really even remember his name at the moment..”

Henry sighs, shaking his head as he walks off the lift, Sammy following him to the railing where below they see the flickering light of the projectionist, skulking through the ink as usual. He had assumed Sammy might have personally known and remembered the guy, but the music director’s reactions weren’t exactly telling. Especially not now as he speaks again;

“Well, that’s certainly a _sight_ … how uncomfortable; the man doesn’t even have a face anymore! And you said he screams and murders anything he sees?”

“Pretty much. I was hoping maybe we could do something and get him to talk to us, but i’m not sure about it now.”

Sammy shakes his head with his arms crossed, watching the projectionist continue to pace through the ink.

“So are we going to actually focus on our task instead then, or fool around and get ourselves killed trying to get those… ink hearts?”

He shivered at that, making Henry snort

“I guess you’re right about that being foolish; we should probably get those first.”

Sammy snorts a mocking laugh looking to him

“I hope by _we_ you mean _you_. I’m not going anywhere near that ink!”

Henry blinks before remembering once again that he was the only one who, besides the projectionist for some odd reason, could walk in ink.

“Right… guess you’ll have fun watching then.”

“I mean, I’d say I will to make you feel better… but I really won’t. Well, unless you get chased; but watching you _die_ won’t make me feel great I will admit…”

Henry gives him a real smug look at that then

“Yeah? Says the guy who was going to sacrifice me to Bendy-”

“You try to sacrifice one small little murder to the Ink demon and it makes you a bad person!”

Henry laughs at him now, finding the whole thing ridiculous; but the sound causes the projectionist from inside one of his halls to screech angrily. Both Henry and Sammy had flinched, becoming stiff and silent as ink splashing can be heard from the projectionist barreling out of the corridors to look for the source. Not daring to speak, Henry looks at Sammy who seems fixated on staring at the angrily flickering projectionist, who was scanning the area slowly. 

After what felt like ages, he gives up and returns to his skulking in the inky corridors again much to their relief. Henry sighs, rubbing the back of his neck

“Alright, that was uncomfortable… just stay here; i’m going to get this over with…”

Sammy nods at that silently as Henry passes him now, scooping the one heart from the stairs landing which once again makes the projectionist screech, Sammy jumping in response. Henry can’t help but snort at that once more; the whole thing was rather refreshing from the typical run through he was so used to. Having people to actually talk to and keep him company… was rather nice. The thoughts fade however as Henry sets foot into the ink with a splash, making a face now as he slowly squelches through it hating how slow it made him.

As per usual, he uses his careful familiarity of the projectionists’ walking patterns to sneak around and grab each heart, taking almost no time to scout them all out having remembered a lot of the locations really well. Heading back now, Henry couldn’t help but feel rather solemn about the mundane repetition he’d gotten so used to, and really hoped it would never come back to him having to do this ever again. The constant lack of change, same tasks, and everything was becoming rather tiring over anything; but perhaps that was the point.

Unfortunately, having been lost in thought, Henry had forgotten to watch his back when a loud angry screech snaps him back to reality (if one could call it that) and his heart skips a beat. Not even daring to look behind, Henry starts trying his best to move through the ink, but it’s dredging thickness wasn’t letting him. Desperate now, hearing the flickering getting far too close for comfort, Henry tries to jump through the ink but finds it doesn’t make much of a difference.

Making it at least out of the corridor, he looks up to see Sammy panicking and flailing from above unable to really help beside shouting “OH MY SWEET INKY LORD HE’S RIGHT BEHIND YOU!!!”. Henry turns and attempts to hit the projectionist with the pipe, the metal glancing uselessly off his inky body and merely prompting a second angry scream.

Henry braces as the projectionist hits him hard, sending him flying backwards into the ink before the stairs; as a result, all of the ink hearts fall out of his grasp everywhere. Currently however, he couldn’t care less as he was far more focused on not _dying_ in the moment as the heavy footsteps of the projectionist were still coming for him.

Getting up, Henry is surprised by Sammy grabbing and pulling him roughly, trying to get him up and out of the ink quickly as possible; as a result, the two stumble up the stairs rather ungracefully. Unfortunately for them, the projectionist hadn’t given up and was now clunking up the stairs just as quickly making them both panic while sammy stutters

“W-WHAT DO WE DO?! HE’S GOING TO KILL US!”

“Frankly, I don’t know! This is usually where he _does_ kill me if I mess up!”

“THAT IS _NOT_ AN OPTION!”

“Well then here’s one: RUN!”

Both of them bolt for the elevator then, Alice cackling in amusement at the scene much to Henry’s irritation. The chase with the Ink demon came to mind, and Henry realizes it wouldn’t have much of a better ending; he had to try _something_ this time, and not shutting a door on someone’s arm. Turning and stopping, Henry causes Sammy to skid to a halt as well before shouting at him;

“Are you _mad_?! He’s COMING!”

Looking back to Sammy, he shouts back

“Just go! I’ll be fine if he gets me, but you won’t! GO!-”

Just then, Henry feels inky hands grasp him from behind, yanking him backwards with a lot of stumbling; one was over his eyes, the other clutching his throat angrily as the projectionist screeched, his light blinding him despite the covering hand. He could almost make out something being yelled by Sammy, but it was cut off as Henry chokes and succumbs to the angry force of the projectionist, being sent into the ink.

  * (POV Switch: Sammy Lawrence)



Staring in horror and feeling shaken, Sammy watches the projectionist strangle and turn Henry into ink that quickly sank through the floor into nothing. Staring down as it did so, the projectionist seemed to be pondering his actions before his flickering lens of rage rose to blind Sammy.

‘God, damn it’ he thinks; Henry’s plan to distract or quell the anger of this strange _monster_ hadn’t worked, and now he was going to die too. Backing up slowly and holding his hands up, Sammy could feel himself shaking rather sadly from how afraid he was as he began to plead despite thinking how useless it’d likely be;

“Come on now… we can talk about this! I-I’m not the one you want, I swear! I’m just a music director!!”

The projectionist, who had been stalking towards him stops then, straightening himself a bit which makes Sammy realize just how huge the guy was height wise; he wasn’t even fully standing straight yet he towered over him. Swallowing nervously, he tries speaking a bit more hoping his words were what stopped him

“I-I didn’t even want to help Alice, I swear! In fact, I _loathe_ her! I just want to live!”

The projectionist silently stares at him, the flickering light making Sammy uncomfortable before the other man tilts his projector head, almost in a gesture of either confusion or curiosity; either way, he wasn’t sure if it meant anything.

“Look… If you just, let me go! That would be great… please?”

The projectionist starts approaching again, each step clanking loudly as his heavy equipment rattles on him. Sammy begins to back up again, now quite terrified of possibly being murdered when he had gotten _so far!_

“No No NO- PLEASE! PLEASE?! I DON’T WANT TO DIE! MY LORD, MY LORD, PLEASE SAVE ME! HELP! SOMEONE-”

Sammy feels himself back into the rail then, out of room to run as the elevator hadn’t returned yet, and the only other option was ink which really wouldn’t be any better. Shaking, he holds up his arms bracing for the worst as the projectionist gets steadily closer. However, just as the burningly bright lens is inches away, he simply… stops.

Confused, and still rather terrified, Sammy peers through his arms enough to see the projectionist staring silently at him. Unsure of what to do now, he slowly moves his arms more to see if the projectionist was simply waiting to attack him. However, as his arms are fully out of the way, nothing happens; the projectionist was simply… standing there.

“I… uh… Is… is there… something you… want? I-if you let me live, i’ll do anything for you!”

Sammy thinks how that really isn’t true, but if it saved his life he didn’t really care in the moment. The projectionist however still didn’t react as he stood there silently, now really confusing and making Sammy nervous. What did he want?? Was he simply messing with him, or assessing the best way to kill him? 

The projectionist then slowly reaches out a hand making Sammy flinch and get defensive again, but the response merely makes the other stop, his hand hovering in front of Sammy. Unsure, he slowly moves his arms away again, and sure enough, the projectionist begins moving his hand once more. Shaking still, Sammy wonders what he’s supposed to be expecting but decides at this point he doesn’t have much of a choice anyways.

“W-what do you want? Can you even talk?”

The projectionist then ever so gently places a hand on the mask, making Sammy freeze in place silent and unmoving.

Slowly, he attempts to move the mask which makes Sammy tense up and grab his hand before feeling instant regret in doing so; surely the response was going to be taken poorly. Quickly letting go, he sweats waiting to be destroyed like Henry was- but nothing happens. Swallowing, he tries speaking again

“What… do you want from me?...”

The projectionist lowers his gaze a bit before looking Sammy in the eye the best he could through the mask. Some kind of static-y garble comes out of the round speaker in his chest, but Sammy couldn’t understand it at all; was he trying to speak?

“I-I don’t know who you are… but.. I’m Sammy?”

The projectionist suddenly looks taken aback at that, his projector head moving away a bit in surprise before tilting as if he didn’t believe him.

“Y-yes… that’s me… I’m Sammy Lawrence. Music director?...”

The projectionist then looks at his hand which Sammy had grabbed before holding it up between them making a sound that wasn’t unlike a rather sad whale, but much more scratchy and static filled. The whole situation was confusing, and Sammy didn’t know why it was happening, but for some reason this strange ink corrupted man was trying to say… _something_ to him.

Once more, the projectionist tries to take Sammy’s mask but Sammy stops his hand, shaking his head

“P-Please, I’d… rather you not. I’m… not comfortable with my face…”

The projectionist surprises him then by actually _nodding_ ; so he was aware, and could understand him.

“What… what do you want from me?”

The projectionist looks down then, as if thinking before shaking his head slowly making another depressing sound. Sammy wasn’t sure how to react, so he stays still and quiet; perhaps he wouldn’t be dying after all. An idea hits him however; if he wanted to communicate, then perhaps they had the perfect way…

“...Can you use your lens to project what you’re thinking? Like… pictures, or words or something?” 

The projectionist looks up at him before shrugging- it seemed he hadn’t tried before, which was curious to Sammy since he wanted to communicate now. Regardless, he turns his head to the wall to try the suggestion, focusing his light on it. Interestingly, after a long moment of nothing, a blurry image of what looks like a memory of walking through the ink corridor plays making Sammy gasp in surprise. It could work! But could he speak with it?

“Can… you speak?”

Sammy felt a bit like a broken record asking the question repeatedly as the projectionist cuts the memory, looking down for a moment before turning back to the wall. He projects several clips now, showing him attempting to pry open the speaker on his chest, tinkering with it using parts and failing, as well as attacking what looked like butcher gang copies to get pieces he was desperately shoving into the speaker- but to no avail. Sammy felt he understood then what he’d been trying to do...

“You’ve been trying to fix your speech box… is that why you’re collecting these hearts? I don’t think they can help you…”

The projectionist looks to him before making a frustrated sound that makes Sammy nervous; did he upset him? Instead however, the projectionist hangs his head in defeat. Looking to the wall once more, he holds up an inky finger now smearing it to write. in retrospect, this made a lot more sense and Sammy felt a bit embarrassed he hadn’t thought of it first. Waiting for him to finish, he reads the rather scraggly writing:

‘Angel can fix. I can fix.’

Sammy leans in for a moment, pondering the words as he remembers Alice’s tangent about using parts from others to fix herself... and how upset Bendy had gotten about it because it was actually killing and using the souls of others. Sammy sweats small beadlets of ink, thinking how he’d have to try and convince the rather terrifying projectionist that it wasn’t such a great idea;

“I… see what you’re trying to do, but there’s a few… issues with your approach.”

The projectionist tilts his head once more, seemingly very keen on Sammy’s words which only makes him more nervous

“W-well, you see.. Um… It turns out that, well, by _using_ those parts, Alice is actually making herself _worse_... it degrades your ink form faster and… uh..”

Sammy was finding it difficult to speak as not only was he scared, but the projectionist was very clearly getting closer to him as he did

“Well, um, it’s. A bad idea and not going to fix your speaker… I-I mean, I don’t _think_ it can, but it’s still a bad idea- _Please don’t hurt me_!”

The projectionist had gotten right into his personal space at that moment, making Sammy hold up his arms yet again in defense. The flickering light of the projectionist thankfully backs off as he moves away again, letting out a long disappointed and static-y groan from his damaged speaker. Reaching a hand out to the wall once more, he wipes over the writing, re-absorbing the ink to clear it off before starting anew to write something else. Patiently waiting and feeling rather uncomfortable with the whole situation, Sammy wonders when Henry might return… _if_ he would return.

The projectionist takes a step back then, gesturing for him to read so he does;

‘If not with ink, how do I fix it?’

Sammy taps the chin of his mask at that; it was a _really_ good question indeed. It made him remember Bendy saying something about finding Alice an alternative to using the ‘soul pieces’ to maintain her form… perhaps if he could find it, he could help his lord, the scary projectionist, and (a little less importantly) the wretched angel herself. A little enthusiastic at the idea then, he grabs the straps of his suspenders getting sing-songy with his voice as he speaks

“There is another way~! So our lord has deemed it~! We simply need to figure out what it is; our lord says it exists, so all we have to do is find it!”

The projectionist’s posture slumps a bit, finding something Sammy had said rather unpleasant; he wasn’t sure how though, as everything he’d just said was positive! Sighing at him, he lets go of his suspenders putting his hands on his hips.

“Well no need to get so glum; it’s not going to be easy, that’s for sure, but there has to be a way. From what it looks like, your own inky-form is what’s clogging your speech box… whatever this alternative to Alice’s sick surgery is, it should be able to help us clear that up!”

The projectionist looks down at his speech box then, poking at some of ink around it before looking up and shrugging; Sammy hoped that at this point, they were on at least okay-ish terms and he wouldn’t decide to randomly murder him on the spot later.

“Well, alright then; i’m not sure where to start, but… it can’t hurt to try and investigate places for answers, right?”

Before the projectionist can really react however, a wooden creak causes both of their heads to snap behind him to where Henry had been trying to sneak back up the stairs… And with that, Sammy has to cover his ears as the horrible glass-shattering shriek screeches from the projector headed man who barrels after a now running Henry. Distressed for his companion’s safety, Sammy runs after only to stop short at the stairs as the other two splash off into the ink he didn’t dare touch.

“PLEASE STOP, HE’S NOT EVIL! LEAVE HIM ALONE!”

The projectionist right in that moment had seized Henry, and lifted him from the ink with his other arm drawn back with a fist clenched- but his large projector head swivels to look at Sammy, his whole posture frozen in place. Henry clutches at the hand holding him up, looking quite nervous and uncomfortable, but also rather confused. 

Stuttering now, Sammy tries to reason with him

“I-I… He’s with me! If you hurt him, then… I won’t help you fix anything!”

Henry looks baffled at that, giving a brief ‘What?!’ before the projectionist oddly enough sounded distressed now, glancing between the two. After another moment of thinking, he seemingly decides to listen as he drops Henry to the ink, his lens now flickering down in obvious disappointment.

  * (POV Switch: Henry Stein)



Hitting the ink with a rough splash, Henry grunts from the impact before struggling to get back on his feet, trying to shake some of the ink off. He was having a hard time believing what he’d just witnessed; the projectionist wasn’t only listening to Sammy, but he was actually _listening_ to him. Whatever he’d missed when he’d been sent back into the ink must’ve been interesting to say the least.

In any case, he looks to the rather irritated man near him who seemed to be contemplating killing him again

“Can… someone fill me in on what I missed?”

Sammy sighs from the stairs, gesturing in his own irritation

“I’d love to, but can you _please_ come closer? I hate having to project my voice because you’re standing all the way over _there!_ ”

Henry rolls his eyes, taking caution as he wades past the projectionist who was still looking down at the ink (and even turns his head slightly away from Henry in contempt) before reaching and standing on the stairs with the frazzled music director

“Alright; i’m closer. What happened?”

Sammy sighs, crossing his arms as he gazes over to the projectionist who was now sitting on one of the crates, fiddling with some broken device.

“I’m not entirely sure… after you were gone, he just… cornered me, but didn’t attack. He even tried to take my mask off, but was… surprisingly gentle about the whole ordeal.”

Henry turns to follow Sammy’s gaze on the projectionist now, curious about that

“Gentle? And he didn’t try to hurt you?”

Sammy gives a so-so hand gesture

“Ehhhh, he did at _first_ , but then I said I was just the music director and… he stopped. Strange, right?”

Henry raises an eyebrow at that, looking back to Sammy as he responds

“Yeah… a little, but also not really.”

Sammy turns his head to look at him then, hand paused mid re-crossing his arms

“Huh??? Not really? What do you mean not really?”

Henry leans against the stairs railing, looking back to the projectionist

“From the audio tapes, it sounded like you two knew each other. His name is Norman Polk; he was the projectionist that recorded you and your music group. You don’t remember?”

He looks back to Sammy now, who seemed to have gone rather deep in thought as his gaze lowers slowly. The projectionist, unbeknownst to him, had snapped his attention up to them upon hearing his name. The flickering however causes Henry to glance over and notice;

“Yeah, that’s your name, isn’t it? You’re Norman Polk- you have a recording right there and everything.”

The projectionist, however, wasn’t listening to Henry at all it seemed; his attention was purely centered on the music director. Turning to look back at Sammy once more, Henry notices he hadn’t changed his demeanor and was still in thought.

“Sammy, don’t hurt yourself trying to find your memories in there…”

Sammy quietly mumbles, tapping a finger to his mouth through the mask’s hole

“Norman… projectionist Norman Polk… hmmm.. I _feel_ like there’s something important i’m forgetting…”

The projectionist, Henry notices, was leaning rather heavily towards them as if eagerly trying to hear Sammy’s response for whatever reason; unfortunately for them, Sammy finishes with:

“Nope; sorry, I can’t remember. Don’t really recall a Norman, but it _sounds_ familiar.”

Both of them watch then as the projectionist deflates, a sad groan crackling over his ink drowned speech box. Henry furrows his brow at that then, walking towards the projectionist now despite the possible danger

“You seem rather disappointed… Why’s that?”

The projectionist sits up at his approach, giving Henry a threatening noise he wouldn’t really call a growl, but was just as effectively telling as one making him stop in his tracks. Sammy from the stairs waves an arm, calling out

“Still not able to walk in the Ink, you know! Mind coming over here?? Again??”

To Henry’s surprise yet again, the projectionist listens to Sammy as he gets up and crosses over. Following behind, Henry felt a bit baffled but figures it’s not a bad thing. Once they’re all on the stairs, Sammy turns to Henry;

“He’s trying to fix his speech box so he can actually talk because it’s a lot easier than spending hours writing on walls and playing charades. I, ever so cleverly, figured we could find that alternative to Alice angel’s ‘part usage’ and let him use it too! Maybe it’ll fix his speaker!”

Henry makes a face at that, unconvinced and unsure about Sammy’s line of reasoning

“I don’t know...that… doesn’t really make sense to me. His speaker isn’t made of ink, it’s just a broken electronic; what we _really_ need is a mechanic who knows how to tinker. Lucky enough, I think I know a guy perfect for the job. Unlucky enough… we’re not meeting him anytime soon, and… well… he doesn’t like strangers.”

Henry realizes that said mechanic _really_ wouldn’t like any of his companions besides Boris maybe, as he didn’t even trust Henry at the start. Sammy sighs at him, sounding a bit impatient

“If we’re not even meeting anytime soon, then what’s the point in bringing it up? Surely there has to be _someone_ who’s good at fixing things around here…”

The projectionist looks down at the speech box while Henry wonders again why he’d seemed so disappointed in Sammy’s lack of remembering him. Maybe he was just sad because it was lonely not being remembered, but it felt like there could be another reason. Either way though, Henry was sure about one thing; even if he _could_ talk, the projectionist wouldn’t tell him anything. He’d simply have to keep wondering. Sighing, Henry rubs his chin in thought

“I don’t know, maybe there is… we might’ve just not met them yet. Before we go running off to try and find someone though, we still need to get the ink hearts for Alice-”

Henry ducks as the projectionist swipes an arm through the air with a shriek at that, causing him to nearly stumble backwards off the stairs into the ink.

“HEY- Watch it! What was that for?!”

The projectionist turns, looking ready to fight when Sammy rather daringly grabs his shoulder, pulling his attention away by force before letting go and holding his hands up- supposedly, he wasn’t too confident after all. Carefully now, the music director addresses the angry projectionist;

“Look. Henry really isn’t that bad! Can you please maybe stop trying to kill him?? Please?”

Henry thinks how Sammy wasn’t convincing at all in hiding his fear, but luckily for them, the projectionist just huffs and looks away. Raising an eyebrow, Henry questions again:

“Why did you do that? Do you really hate Alice that much?...”

The projectionist looks to him then, lens flickering with a glowing fury before slowly clenching his fists. Turning to the wall, he suddenly does something rather extraordinary; He plays a memory… a memory of Alice. Leaning in a bit now, Henry and Sammy both watch from the projectionists point of view of exactly what had happened…


	11. Mess With a Demon, Get the Horns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Upon being brought to the abyss by the butcher gang, Bendy gets into some trouble as two sides clash. When things start getting dangerous, the little demon does too...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mild fighting violence

* * *

Struggling angrily against the rope he’d been tied with, Bendy kicks his legs furiously to no avail; it merely made him swing around rather pathetically from a fishing rod he was hanging from that Barley currently had hoisted over his shoulder. Stopping to catch his breath, Bendy pouts angrily as he spins slowly and rather sadly; the butcher gang were going to use him as bait for the projectioninst quite _literally_ it seemed.

“Alright, real FUNNY ya wise guys! Now let me down! Henry’ll be REAL mad if he sees what you’ve done ta me! Then you’ll ALL be sorry!”

Charley merely snickers at him while Edgar ignores him, finishing tying poor Boris to a chair. The quiet wolf whines, his snout wound shut with duct tape (rather pointlessly considering), looking like he was regretting a lot of his life choices. Kicking around again, Bendy bounces around his rope uselessly like a helpless fish on a rod (which frankly, was pretty much what he was at this point).

“Alright, alright, so maybe you’re not scared of Henry! I see why, but hey, that’ll be your LAST mistake…”

Ignoring him once again, Edgar turns to the other two while dusting his hands off

“Alright then; let’s take him to the abyss… the time has come to retrieve what is rightfully ours from that _fiend_. And, perhaps, even _more_ if we can take him down…”

Charley chuckles deviously, but Barely just quietly shifts his bubble pipe from one side of his mouth to the other. Bendy was getting really irritated now

“Y’know, yer Angel wants to see me in person ALONE right?! If Anythin’ happens ta me, you’re all gonna be TOAST! Buttered, burnt, an’ scraped inta the TRASH!”

At that, he finally gets their attention as all three look at him- the demon tries to glare at them all. but he slowly turns on the rope so his back is facing them. Struggling to face them again, he slowly spint to meet an angry glare from Edgar

“Why would our fairest angel ever want to speak with a demonic heathen like _you_?”

Bendy sticks his tongue out mockingly before answering, ruffling the striker

“‘Cause she thinks i’m interestin’, pure, an’ actually _worth somethin’_ unlike ya sorry pieces of-”

“BLASPHEMY! I will NOT believe it! Come; the abyss awaits, as do our supplies!”

Bendy growls in frustration at that, being carried away now down a dark access tunnel leaving poor Boris behind all alone. Looking down the dark hall the gang were shining a small flashlight into, he wonders if he could pull off any demon abilities on purpose to really scare them...

“I’m tellin ya, Alice ain’t gonna be happy if ya hurt me!”

Charley shrugs as they continue walking along, Edgar in the lead with Barely in the back; his short legged waddle was making bendy swing side to side, nearly hitting the walls from his rod. Angrily pouting still, Bendy’s expression slowly changes to a rather devious grin

“Alright, have it your way… but yer gonna really regret _one thing_ fer sure. And that thing… is _me._ ”

Inhaling deeply, all three look at him before Bendy lets out a sound that none of them were prepared for gauging from their reaction. Screeching at a pitch that could shatter glass (which in fact, it had as the flashlight shattered), Bendy was forcing all the air he could out of himself into a shriek. Going for as long as he could, he soon wheezes into silence trying to catch his breath, but the damage had still been done.

In the pitch black, Bendy feels himself get dropped painfully to the floor with a thud, the three butcher gang members stumbling around from what it sounded like until the unmistakable frustrated voice of Edgar spoke up

“rrrRRRAAAH! Duct tape his mouth shut THIS INSTANCE! He will draw the demon to us within _seconds_ like that!”

Bendy was about to try and make a run for it, but he quickly feels someone grabbing and shoving his face to the floor (which truthfully, he thinks, was rather deserved) as somebody else duct taped his mouth shut. Another few moments of stumbling in the dark, and a new flashlight clicked on showing the bruised up crew who had bonked all over the place in their earlier confusion, now glaring at Bendy. Charley, however, was barely hiding a grin because he was trying to hold back just how funny he actually found it.

Bendy glares back, only to be hoisted up with his legs flailing again as Barley throws the rod back over his shoulder, the three resuming their journey to the abyss with him. For once, he hoped the Ink demon would show up and make them all sorry they ever crossed him; unfortunately though, he’d probably end up dead with them. His petty anger didn’t stop him from still wishing for it though.

After a while of swinging silently on the pole and actually starting to get a bit sleepy from it, Bendy blinks back to full awareness as they emerge from the dark tunnel finally; they had moved into a not much brighter room that was massive and flooded with ink. Trying to look around, he can’t make much of it other than it was clearly deep underground and very much not hospitable; the perfect place for monsters to lurk.

Edgar turns then to the other two, mumbling some form of plans that Bendy couldn’t make out- which was probably the point. As he starts kicking his legs again, Barley moves the pole from one shoulder to the next making him swing and smack the wall briefly. Whether intentional or not, it was pretty rough and left Bendy’s eyes spinning as spirals with a few tiny birds chirping in circles over his head. The other three stared a bit at that, having forgotten they were toting around a live _cartoon_. Charley, it seemed, was absolutely delighted at it.

“That was GREAT! Oh man, do ya think we could get him to do more stuff like that?!”

Edgar smacks a hand over his mouth glaring

“ShhhSH! He could hear us- _especially_ you! Be quiet!”

Charley snorts, shoving his hand away and grinning still but talking quieter now to everyone’s relief;

“Either way, I still think it was hilarious. Do we _really_ gotta kill ‘im?”

Barley frowns a bit, but Edgar shakes his head giving them both a stern and determined look

“He is a necessary sacrifice for our fair angel. Now, remember Barley, me and Charley are going to get what supplies and hearts we can… You’re in charge of using your skills to lure and distract the projectionist. Think you can handle that?”

Barley nods solemnly, but Bendy kicks his feet muffled arguing at them despite nobody understanding him. At that, the other two disappear into the shadows rather impressively (especially loud-mouthed Charley), leaving Bendy alone hanging off the rod in the hands of the fisher. Frowning under the tape, he knew that his actual suffering was about to really begin; he hopes that if the projectionist _did_ get his hands on him, he’d find mercy for once. But he probably wouldn’t.

He also had been hoping Barley was nicer than the other two and would feel bad for him, but Bendy was quickly proven otherwise as the rod is lifted over the side to dangle him over the inky abyss below. Sweating now, Bendy turns his floating head all the way around to give Barley a pleading look, who simply shakes his head in return before he rips the tape off his mouth. Naturally, Bendy yells in pain;

“Yee-OWWW! JEEZ pal, it ain’t a BANDAID!”

Barley grins a little at that, making Bendy frown as he realizes he was doing his distraction job for him already. Struggling pointlessly as ever, he begins to panic a little

“Okay okay okay, look- we can reasonably make a deal here, right?! I-I can help ya out, I can- YIPES!!!”

Barley had released the reel in that moment, stopping it just barely in time so that Bendy didn’t splash straight into the ink. Inches above it, he looks down seeing his own distressed expression reflected in it before hearing the incoming flickering of someone he _really_ didn’t want to meet right now. Panicking even more, Bendy starts flailing all over the place becoming just a _tad_ hysteric

“BARLEY! BARLEY REEL ME IN PLEASE! I’LL NEVER DO CRIME AGAIN, I SWEAR! C’MON, IT AIN’T FUNNY! BARLEEEEYYY!!”

The fisher simply puffs bubbles out of his pipe in response however, watching quietly as the projectionist skulked out of his halls, stopping with his blinding gaze locked on the struggling demon. Freezing like a deer in headlights, Bendy sweats more as his eyes shrink really small in fear

“Aw, Hell…”

However, incredibly out of place, Bendy sees someone else come out after the projector headed ink monster; Sammy, wearing a rather impressive pair of rubber boots was standing next to him now before slapping his hands to his head in distress

“MY LORD!”

As Sammy begins to run over, Bendy struggles yet again hoping to be saved when Barley reels him out of reach in the last second, much to the frustration of both parties. Slowly looking up, the projectionist makes his unhappy growl-like sound which seemed to make the fisher a tad nervous. Taking a step forward, it looked as if Barley might bolt when sudden commotion snaps his attention back to the ink flooded hallways; someone was yelling, followed by metallic clanking.

Confused and irritated, Bendy gets a literal lightbulb over his head before looking Barley in the eye who blinks in confusion. Smiling deviously, Bendy’s teeth turn rather sharp without warning, making the fisher look quite regretful in that moment. Not hesitating, he swiftly bites through the ropes freeing himself finally and tumbling down right into the arms of Sammy, who grunts from the effort of catching him. Above, the fisher was hopping from foot to foot in panic before bolting away; it seemed he wasn’t very bold after all, which was uncharacteristic for who he was supposed to be.

“My lord, are you alright?! What in the name of ink did they do to you?!”

Bendy struggles in Sammy’s arms a bit to straighten himself out to a less awkward position, a look of determination on his face now

“Had a little chat and gave ‘em a bad idea involvin’ yer projector buddy; Now where’s Henry?!”

\- (POV Change: Henry Stein)

Deflecting the deadly hatchet arm of an incredibly skilled piper, Henry grunts from the effort of having to fight him off; Whatever he was, he was much smarter and _faster_ than the average piper, making him much scarier.

“What do you want from me?! Get back!”

Caught off guard, Henry actually gets a response;

“We want what yer little projectionist friend took from our Angel! And we ain’t givin’ up ‘til ya hand it over, pal!”

Swinging his pipe behind him now, Henry barely blocks the metallic extending arm of the Striker they’d met earlier, who was being quite aggressive to him now

“You’re not giving her _anything_! These ink hearts don’t belong to _anyone_ besides the innocents she murdered!”

Both butcher gang members looked rather frazzled at that, lunging in unison making Henry dive under them barely in time as the two collided rather comically mid-air, making a bunch of cartoonish symbols fly off of them. Getting up, he sees a flickering light return with the angry shriek of the projectionist that sends the piper and striker skittering through the ink into the shadows. Barrelling over, the projectionist stops near Henry looking around aggressively for them

“Sorry, I didn’t see where they went- they’re trying to get back the hearts and other parts of your stash. They’re a lot smarter than I thought…”

The projectionist screeches again, whacking away an incoming attack from the piper that had nearly hit Henry who hadn't been looking behind himself; the sudden save stunned him briefly before he shook it off

“They’re relentless! What did we do to set them off?!”

Just then, Alice’s voice mockingly coos at them from the speakers all over the corridors

“You stole from me, dear errand boy~! You and your _disgusting_ ink monster buddy there! So now I’m having to authorize force to get it back!”

Henry huffs while the projectionist shrieks yet again, angered from her voice enough to throw a butcher gang copy’s corpse. It flies at the striker, who had nearly made it to the ink hearts, and now had to dive away to avoid being hit. The whole situation was getting more and more out of hand, and soon would be an inky bloodbath if something wasn’t done soon. Feeling frustrated, Henry calls out to the speakers Alice had spoken from

“You didn’t give us the chance to find your alternative to the soul pieces yet! You’re breaking your deal with us!”

“YEAH, what he said!”

Henry turns at the all-too-familiar voice of his beloved demon companion, who upon seeing in Sammy’s arms, made him feel even more panicked

“BENDY?! What’re you _doing_ here?! Now REALLY isn’t the time-”

The projectionist catches the piper’s arm as he lunged straight for Sammy’s legs, throwing him hard as he can down one of the halls causing him to tumble head over heels into the ink. Flustered by the attempted attack and save, Sammy sputters, but Bendy looked unfazed as he answers Henry

“Those _bozos_ dragged me down ‘ere! Can ya believe ‘em?! Tried usin’ me as bait!”

Henry groans, turning now to deflect the striker once again from a crate that had ink hearts piled inside they were so adamantly defending; it turned out the projectionist had pilfered quite a few more from Alice than he’d originally ever known. Looking back to Bendy in exasperation, he responds

“Either way, you need to get _out_ of here! It’s too dangerous!”

Bendy sputters a little at that in disbelief

“ _What?!_ I didn’t really have a choice, old man! But now that I’m here I wanna help!”

“Help?! Absolutely _not_ , I’m not letting you get hurt again!”

“Why can’t ya just trust me?! I wanna help! I’m tired ‘a seein’ you guys do everythin’ an’ act like I’m some precious thing ya can’t let outta yer sight!”

“My lord, please-”

“Bendy-”

Irritated, the little demon projects his voice angrily

“NO! I AIN’T BEIN’ BABIED NO MORE! LET ME HELP-”

In that moment, a loud explosion suddenly lit the entire scene with a firey force that knocked everyone down…

\- (POV Change: Bendy)

As the ink and smoke settles, it became clear that the projectionist and Henry were down for the count; Sammy soon followed, groaning and going limp against the wooden boards he’d slammed into. 

Shocked and panicked, Bendy quickly struggles free from Sammy’s arms, just barely stopping him from touching the ink in time; he hangs him up against the wood by his suspenders to keep him dry before turning to assess the situation. The projectionist’s light had gone dim, but was still on at least meaning he was alive but unconscious. Henry was lurched forward against a pile of broken wood boards, but thankfully not face down and drowning in ink; he looked incredibly injured however.

“HENRY!”

Running over, Bendy skids to a halt as he’s surrounded by the three now rather angry looking butcher gang members. Glaring himself right back, he slowly turns his attention to each one at a time before stopping at Edgar sneering at him; the striker smirks rather obnoxiously back

“Give it up, demon! You’re outnumbered and out classed! We’re taking the supplies and that’s that!”

Spitting at him, Edgar looks incredibly offended and draws his sword now aiming it at him; Bendy merely smirks himself now in response

“There may be three of ya… but I am in _no_ way _out-classed_. Yer about ta be the most sorry bunch ‘round this place…”

A huff from Charley turns his attention

“Big talk comin’ from the guy we tied up not too long ago!”

Glaring silently at him, Bendy’s gaze trails as he realizes who had set off the explosives; Barley was holding up grenades comically shaped like fish he’d fashioned from spare parts. 

In that moment, pure cold anger floods over him; he’d hurt Sammy, the projectionist, and _Henry_. His grin twitching a bit, Bendy closes his eyes before re-opening them, his typically pie-cut eyes replaced with a terrifyingly human expression shared by a certain no-wandering cut out. Rightfully so, the Fisher becomes nervous and starts to back away 

“If ya think i’m only talk… Well… lemme show ya just why they call me _demon_ ”

Holding his hands out, Bendy cackles as the ink begins to swirl around and trap the three with him in an inky-vortex. Immediately all three of the butcher gang’s faces become terrified with regret; Bendy, enjoying every bit of it, merely cackles harder. If they wanted to threaten his friends and cause a problem, well, they’d have to see exactly what the title _demon_ meant; it wasn’t a simple honorific!

Lifting up from the ink, Bendy holds out his hands making the ink change into three huge ink hands that grab and hold the butcher gang who were now struggling in fear. 

Smirking, he starts squeezing his own hands into fists crushing them; Charley yells, Edgar shouts, and Barley quietly wheezes only making Bendy feel even more devilish. Giggling, Bendy slowly starts to devolve into another chaotic cackle before he hears Edgar cry out with the last of his efforts;

“MY ANGEL, SAVE US!”

Blinking in surprise, Bendy momentarily loses focus, lessening his grip on them before he angrily crushes them even more than before while growling

“NOBODY WILL SAVE YA NOW! You were damned to this hell with the rest of us, and i’ll make _sure_ ya don’t FORGET IT!”

Twisting his face into a horrific smile, Bendy can feel the urge to finish crushing them into inky pulp... when a voice calls out over the speakers frantically catching him rather off guard;

“STOOOOOP! DON’T KILL THEM!”

Silently floating there for a moment, Bendy tries to comprehend who was speaking before realizing it was Alice herself

“Huh?! Why in this ink drowned Hell would ya even care, lady?!”

“Because I _made them!_ I don’t want to lose them!”

Staring at the struggling butcher gang members who were gasping for air, Bendy blinks a few times before his eyes return to normal and he frowns. What was he doing?? Why was he so easily willing to hurt people he’d _just_ been trying to befriend? Suddenly, he felt very keen on why Henry had been so antsy about him…

_‘On the plus side, I’ve got a new character I think people are going to love’_

The voice seemed to echo in his mind for a moment before Bendy shakes his head, sighing irritably as he unclenches his fists and lets all three butcher gang members drop to the ink below. Lowering himself too, he looks down a bit in shame before crossing his arms

“Technically, ya didn’t _make_ ‘em…”

“No, but I still nurtured them to where they are! I… I only act like I don’t like looking at them for reasons you don’t need to hear- but they’re still _mine!_ It took so long, and I worked so hard… I really _do_ care for them!”

Bendy wasn’t sure if her feelings for the butcher gang members was exactly moral or true, but he had at least give her credit for _claiming_ she cared. He watches as they struggle to get up before another idea pops into his head; within moments, he summons a rope from the ink that drags and ties all three of them together, rendering them immobile and incapable of fighting.

“There; they ain’t dead, but they ain’t gettin’ no stinkin’ ink hearts for ya either!”

Sighing over the speakers, Alice seemed to have been telling the truth from what he could tell as she sounded relieved they were alive. Looking over the rather miserable butcher gang, Bendy began to feel guilty again that he’d lost control on them; in fact, he felt a little fearful of his own power. What if the others had seen it? What would Henry have said?? What if he had actually gone through with killing them? Nervously, he realizes the three could blab and tell everyone what he’d done and then what? He felt almost positive they’d get scared of him and run away, leaving him alone…

Desperate now, he hurries over to the three who all flinch, looking rightfully wary of him

“Okay, look- I-I know it sounds crazy, but ya all gotta promise ya won’t say what happened here, okay?? I-I just… can’t have ya tellin’ them, okay?”

Charley nervously exchanges a look with Barley when Edgar gives him a squinting look of disbelief, his mouth slightly open

“Wh… _Excuse me?!_ You nearly killed us, tied us up, and essentially went full blown _demon_ on us… and you’re begging us to _help you_ by saying nothing?!”

Bendy sweats, knowing what he was asking was rather senseless considering; but still, he had to try, right?

“Please?? Just… I-I don’t wanna get ditched by Henry an’ the others! You guys know how lonely it is havin’ nobody! Ya wouldn’t want that fer me, would ya?? I-I made ya laugh, right Charley??”

Charley genuinely seems to contemplate that as a reasonable counterpoint, but Edgar scoffs at him with a glare

“You are truly _mad_ if you think that matters! Perhaps if you release us and allow us to return the stolen goods to our angel, we may just _possibly_ consider-”

“I can’t! If I do that, they’ll be mad at me! Plus, those hearts are bad for her anyways!”

“Fine, then; it seems you are the one who ultimately loses instead of us…”

Bendy blinks, taken aback by how blunt but true his statement was; even if he beat them up or killed them, it wouldn’t matter as the others would be just as horrified either way. At this point, he was damned if he did and damned if he didn’t considering there was no reason for them to help him. Henry and the others didn’t know the full truth about him, and surely would abandon or try to hurt him if they did.

Overwhelmed by the potential loss of his friends and guilt over what he’d done, Bendy slowly holds his head looking down with a sniff, his vision starting to blur up from tears.

Edgar stares along with the other two as the little demon begins to cry before Charley and Barley surprisingly looked upset by it. Looking down, Edgar goes silent before cursing a quiet ‘ _damn it all!_ ’ to himself, looking back up to Bendy while glaring but not being as harsh as before

“Please stop crying- we won’t say anything.”

Bendy sniffs, wiping his eyes furiously now finding these three were surprising him quite a bite lately

“I-I wasn’t cryin’! But… ya really mean it? Why?...”

Edgar sighs heavily, looking away

“Yes, _we_ mean it; and why? Well, frankly, I would rather not help you _at all_ , but I do not enjoy making others cry… also you did not seem entirely in control of yourself- much like someone _else_ often gets...”

He glares at Charley, who whistles innocently before grinning and adding

“Hey- I guess we kinda did beat and tie ya up. Call it an eye for an eye! But in this case, more like a bruise for a bruise, Hah-HAH!”

Edgar and Barley both wince from his laugh before Bendy rubs his eyes again, sniffing and looking confused

“But… really, why? Why’d ya change yer minds?”

Edgar looks away a bit embarrassed it seems

“I… Look. It is not important-”

Charley cuts in then;

“Edgar likes to follow a code of chivalry or somethin’! He likes being all proper and nice to people, even his own enemies!”

Bendy sniffs one more time before slowly grinning at that

“Really…? Well, good ta know you guys ain’t mindless crooks like the old butcher gang… and uh… ya won’t say anythin’ about me cryin’, right? ‘Cause I wasn’t. I got Ink in my eye.”

Edgar sighs, closing his eye while Charley snickers, Barley quietly kicking some ink idly

“No, we won’t mention that either if you are asking _politely_. But can you _please_ free us at the least?”

Bendy walks over, looking down on the three who were quite beat up like Charley had mentioned; it was interesting to him how they’d gone from newfound friends, to enemies, to awkward allies again. It was a proper cartoon drama, alright. Edgar’s comment on him losing control made him a bit anxious though; was he really losing it every time he used his powers? Maybe he shouldn’t use them anymore… 

Sighing, Bendy speaks again

“I wanna, but… they were fightin’ real hard ta stop ya from takin’ this stuff to Alice. I wanna find out why from them first ‘cause yer not takin’ the hearts either way; I said i’d find a better way ta fix her, so I’m gonna do that first!”

The butcher gang all groan at that, looking disappointed; over the speakers, Alice replies to Bendy

“The reason they were fighting is _none of your business_. And if you can’t find an alternative, I _will_ take those hearts back! It would be a waste to let them sit there like that to rot…”

Bendy puts his hands on his hips, about to make a snarky remark in return when he hears Henry groaning and waking up; in response, he runs over to him

“Henry! Henry, are you okay?!”


	12. Anybody Dead Yet?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After another strange 'Dream' of the Ink demon, Henry and the group try to recollect from their scuffle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mild horror imagery, injury mention

* * *

Everything felt heavy; it was as if the weight of the world was suddenly on his shoulders, and he was struggling to hold it up. He somehow knew if he let go or gave up it would mean disaster, so he pushed, struggled, and slowly moved forward.

Lifting from ink, Henry could feel himself being held- almost as if he were being pulled by it. Looking back, he realizes this was the literal truth as dozens of inky arms were trying to pull him back. Pulling against them harder in his struggle, the strain was becoming overbearing.

Opening his mouth slowly, he tries to yell, but instead a terrible snarl rips through the air as he shakes from the effort of his force. The arms still held firmly, but a few had shrank away from him.

Pulling and pushing his own limbs, Henry felt his right leg straining harder than the left; it was unstable, and not supporting him well. Adrenaline was starting to pump through him as the fear of being pulled under took over. Additionally, he was beginning to feel angry that the beings of the ink were doing this to him.

Trying to yell again, his mouth opens wide as he lets out a demonic roar that vibrates the wooden walls, floors, and ceilings with a deep resonance as he tries to form words;

_ ‘Let me go! Stop pulling me! Let me free! Let go! Let go!’ _

“Let…  _ GO! _ ”

The words out of his mouth sounded otherworldly and terrifying, and were so loud a few glass window panes cracked. Immediately, all of the limbs released him as he stumbles forward out of the ink he’d been standing in to solid wooden flooring. Falling to his hands and knees, he takes a moment to catch his breath and regain stamina when he notices something…

These were not his hands. This was not his body.

Scrambling to his feet, he slams to one of the cracked windows feeling frozen as the cracked and multiplied visage staring back had a big toothy grin that belonged to the Ink demon. 

Trying to throw himself away in fear, Henry finds he can’t move as dark laughter begins to echo in his head.

Everything was spinning now, and he felt as if he were going to pass out into the dark void of laughter; sinking, disappearing, being pulled into darkness by the demon like ink down a drain... 

-

Gasping awake, Henry finds normal Bendy shaking him repeatedly while yelling

“Henry! Henry, wake up! Are you okay?! Henry- Henry! What happened?? Are ya alright? Are ya hurt??”

Henry blinks a bit, feeling dazed before his mind refocuses and he looks to Bendy

“Huh?... What happened? How…”

Bendy gives him a puzzled look before snorting at him

“I’m the one askin’  _ you _ that, old man! You were squirmin’ and yellin’ like the Ink demon possesed ya!”

Henry’s eyes widen a bit at that, staring

“He… I think he  _ did _ .”

It was Bendy’s turn to stare now before looking really nervous

“Yer… yer jokin’ right? ‘Cause that’s a real bad joke!”

Henry shakes his head quietly before a loud voice from nearby calls out

“THE INK DEMON POSSESSED YOU?? CAN HE DO THAT TO ALL OF US?”

Holding his aching head and shutting his eyes, Henry groans as a ‘whack’ noise silences the person yelling; the posh voice he recalls belonging to the striker speaks

“Keep it down, will you?! That volume in this tight space is hardly  _ necessary _ .” 

“ _ Owwww _ … how’d ya manage to do that when we’re tied up?!”

Henry rubs his head, slowly opening his eyes to see the squabbling butcher gang tied together and arguing. Once again, he asks Bendy, who was silently fretting to himself:

“What happened? How did I get knocked out?”

Bendy blinks, frowning and looking to Henry before briefly glancing to the tied up butcher gang and looking back again

“Well, Barley threw some explosives… knocked all of ya out cold. I uh… took care of it.”

Henry raises an eyebrow, glancing around to find Sammy hanging rather sadly by his suspenders to keep him out of the ink while the projectionist was face down in the ink. Shaking his head a little, he looks to Bendy once more

“How did you do it? I always thought I needed to be the one protecting you… but you protected  _ me _ .”

Bendy nervously rubs the back of his head, not meeting his gaze

“It’s complicated. I’m just… not weak as ya think.”

Henry furrows his brow, concerned about what Bendy wasn’t telling him, but in the moment their situation needed his attention; he’d talk to him about it later. Struggling to move, Henry gasps as pain shoots from his spine all over his body making him collapse even more painfully back against the wooden plank and rubble he’d landed in. Looking panicked, Bendy gets closer gently grasping his shoulder

“Henry! Yer hurt! How bad is it?? Why isn’t the ink healin’ ya?”

Henry takes a moment to catch his breath, gritting his teeth before looking to the worried face of his demon buddy. Smiling despite it all, he carefully moves a hand to pat him before dropping it as it still ached. Bendy looked rather unconvinced.

“I don’t know; it just hurts to move… I think my back got banged up. It’ll be fine-”

“It was the grenade.”

Henry and Bendy both look over to meet the calm gaze of the striker who nods at them. Henry must have looked as confused as he felt- yeah, the grenade  _ had _ hurt him- because the striker sighs before shaking his head and explaining

“It was not a simple explosive; it was combined with a chemical mixture that prevents the revitalizing properties of the ink. It is not permanent, but you will be in pain for a decent time. It was mostly meant for the projectionist himself…”

Henry frowns as Bendy puts his hands to his head in disbelief 

“Ya mean you guys can just- down someone, an’ they can’t get up?? Can’t respawn?”

Edgar looks to Barley, who nervously looks down before Charley picks up for him

“Barley is an engineerin’ genius! It won’t kill ya permanently, but it keeps ya down for a while. We wanted to try it on the Ink demon, but… well… if you guys have the balls ta do it, you’re welcome to try!”

Henry makes a face at that, shaking his head

“I don’t want to, thanks. The Ink demon… is pretty mad at me already. I’m not trying to give him more reasons to hate me...”

Charley shrugs, and Bendy moves closer to Edgar looking desperate

“How do we reverse it? Henry’s hurt real bad!”

Edgar frowns back at him, sighing

“My apologies, but you will simply have to wait. He will need to deal with the pain until it wears off.”

Charley nods, looking rather somber

“I remember all the tests that went wrong when Barley was makin’ the stuff. Sometimes it  _ really _ wasn’t fun…”

Barley looks a bit guilty then, glancing down quietly mumbling a ‘Sorry’ that makes Charley smile 

“Hey, ya didn’t mean it buddy. Don’t worry about it! Can’t say those searchers felt the same though, Hah-HAH!”

Henry rubs his temples again from the loud piper, wishing he could get a soft quiet place to rest; his back really was starting to bother him now. From what it felt, it might’ve hit something in his spine that connected to several limbs and it really didn’t feel good. If he had to describe it, he’d say it was like getting electric volts through his nerves when moving too much, and simply a big painful bruise when he stayed still.

Bendy sighs, catching his attention as the little demon turns to Henry with a pout

“At least bleedin’ an’ broken bones ain’t killin’ ya…”

Henry gives him a meek smile at that, trying his best not to worry him too badly. From behind, he hears Sammy groaning; conveniently, the projectionist was starting to move too, his light getting brighter as he woke. The butcher gang, tied up and vulnerable, all were starting to sweat and get nervous. Henry frowns, realizing they were now at the mercy of the projectionist, whom he couldn’t dream of stopping like this.

Bendy steps forward, looking ready to fight as the projectionist began to stand; however, he collapses down kneeling on one knee immediately after. Lucky for the butcher gang, it seemed he wasn’t quite in fighting conditions either. Moving now, the projectionist sits roughly against a wooden support beam while glaring upon and making the butcher gang squint. The piper complained rather boldly;

“Can ya aim that elsewhere? I’d like to keep the one eye, if you’d let me…”

The projectionist gives a static-y snarl, but surprisingly complies as his lens turns to stare at the wall. Henry looks to his left at Sammy who was still struggling to wake up; the more awake he became, the more Henry could hear him muttering to himself. Raising an eyebrow, he looks to Bendy

“What’s he saying? Can you check on him?”

Bendy blinks, turning from the others before trotting over to Sammy

“Hey, Sam-Man! Ya dead?”

Sammy groans loudly in response, making the little demon snicker, before he returns to muttering. Henry could barely make out his words now

“...Hurts. Why.. why did he… that machine.. No.. how many? How many… Norman… Norman? Where…”

Henry wishes he could get up, as he was rather curious about Sammy’s words; was he remembering? Or was he simply jumbled up from the explosion? He starts in surprise instead however as Sammy gasps loud enough to make everyone look over, including the flickering light of the projectionist.

“Oh my GOD! I’m DEAD! That absolute  _ WRETCH! _ HOW DARE HE! HOW DARE HE!”

His voice was becoming rather shrill, and making Henry’s head pound; Bendy was even squinting in pain, grimacing. Edgar from the butcher group snorts;

“You are only NOW realizing this, my good sir?!”

Sammy shakes his head before looking around and finding what had been done to him

“What- Oh come on, not my suspenders! Hmph;”

Freeing himself, Henry realizes his mask was missing; how long until he noticed and panicked, he wasn’t sure… the music director seemed rather pre-occupied in the moment, and was now pacing

“I’ve known I’m dead; What I mean is I was MURDERED! Murdered by that lying, conniving, spineless and deluded WRETCH Joey Drew! He said I had to come back, lied and lured me here, then KILLED me! Oh, if I EVER get my hands on that man… HOW MANY?! How many of us did he LIE to?! He’s a serial killer, HENRY!”

Henry was wincing more and more as Sammy’s voice got louder than the Piper’s, impressively enough. The projectionist was struggling to stand again, using the wall for support as he did so while Sammy ranted on, pacing back and forth in front of Bendy who simply followed him with his gaze

“I finally remember what happened! The letter- the lies! That  _ machine _ . Oh, that dreaded, terrible, AWFUL machine! Ohhh, I’m so ANGRY! What’s  _ worse  _ is that he took everyone with him! He couldn’t stand being alone in his failure, he had to take EVERYONE with him! SELFISH! DELUDED AND  _ SELFISH _ ! AND!... And…”

He trails off as he goes back into thought, Bendy slowly looking to Henry with an expression that said ‘please, make it stop’. Giving him a pitying look back knowing they couldn’t do anything, Henry instead turns his head with a pained grunt to watch the projectionist still slowly dragging himself over to Sammy. Sammy glances to him, quiet still before he sighs and gently takes hold of the struggling man, guiding him to sit down. The softness between them was surprising to Henry, as Sammy wasn’t much of an openly emotional type, and the projectionist… well, he hated most everyone.

The projectionist looks up to him with a tilted head as Sammy silently gazes back before shaking his head

“If you’re asking if i’m hurt, i’m fine; just a bit of an ache. I think you and Henry took most of it… speaking of, Henry; how’re you holding up over there?”

“Well, considering I can’t move… not great.”

Sammy straightens up then, Bendy going back up to Henry’s side followed by the music director

“Really? Why can’t you-”

Edgar sighs loudly then, knowing he’d have to re-explain himself. Before he can however, Sammy gasps loudly again once more making everyone look at him before Henry notices he’d finally realized...

“MY MASK! WHERE IS IT?! OH, DON’T LOOK AT ME! I’M HIDEOUS!”

Running around blindly with his hands over his eyes, Sammy was hyperventilating a bit as Bendy makes a face

“Ye-eeeesh! Insecurity radiates from that guy so much it makes you feel insecure standin’ by ‘im!”

Henry sighs giving Bendy a look, the demon giving him one back

“What?!”

“Cut him a break, he’s not like himself anymore… you understand that, right?”

Bendy stares at Henry for a moment before glancing away to rub the back of his head; it seemed he clearly did.

Nearby, the projectionist struggles up yet again making Henry worry a little for him before he notices something clutched in his hand; it was the mask. He had been trying to give it back to Sammy earlier. Limping over to where the music director was still running around blind in panic, the two collide roughly before the projectionist windmills falling backwards into the ink with Sammy gasping and landing right on top of him.

Awkwardly, Henry notices the room had gone rather silent… even the butcher gang didn’t dare make a sound. Slowly, the projectionist sits up a little to look at Sammy who seemed frozen; Henry couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but he was sure it was likely embarrassment. Lifting his arm shakily, the projectionist gently slides the mask over Sammy’s face giving him a little nod before flopping roughly back down into the ink; Sammy at least had sat up off of him, avoiding the ink nervously.

Bendy turns to Henry making an incredibly hilarious face of utter disgust

“YUCK! That was all awkwardly  _ romantic _ or somethin’!”

Sammy reels at that, standing up incredibly fast and flustering, stamping his feet making ink splash

“IT! WAS! NOT! DON’T MAKE IT WEIRDER! H-HE WAS JUST HELPING ME!”

Bendy sneers, making a really snide expression while resting a hand on his chin pensively

“Yeah? Just like how he’s been helpin’ ya this whole time? Almost like he likes ya or somethin’?”

Sammy squawks at that, stamping even more and splashing ink over the poor projectionist that Henry currently pitied more than anyone in the moment

“L-L-LIKE ME?! YOU’RE BEING RIDICULOUS! HE’S JUST TRYING TO HELP SO WE HELP HIM!”

Bendy shrugs, holding his hands out closing his eyes still incredibly smug; Charley was cackling with laughter now, Edgar rolling his eye but poorly hiding a hint of a smile while Barley was looking down bashfully to the ink, smiling himself.

“Ya sound really defensive-”

“MY LORD, PLEASE! Can we just- drop it?!”

Bendy busts out laughing before wiping a tear and sighing

“Fine, fine; only ‘cause my ears are hurtin’!”

Henry snorts himself at that, raising an eyebrow

“What ears?”

Bendy gives him a smug look, shrugging

“Oh ya know, secret ones~”

Henry grins, looking past Bendy to Sammy who now had his arms crossed and was avoiding looking at anyone, but was glancing to the projectionist now and again. The projectionist was still laying in the ink, apparently done trying to move around at this point which Henry could relate to. Interrupting everything however, a voice over the speakers reminds him of how they all ended up here in the first place;

“Well  _ obviously _ he likes you, you moron. He had a weird crush on you back when we worked here.”

Sammy stiffens, slowly looking at one of the speakers while very keenly avoiding the flickering light of the projectionist, who slowly lifted his head to look at him

“ _ I beg your pardon?? _ ”

“You heard me. C’mon, Sammy- don’t tell me you lost  _ that _ much of your memory! You remember Norman, don’t you?”

Sammy silently stands there before holding out his arms in a shrug

“No, I don’t, apparently! I’m the unlucky one who can’t remember anything!”

While Alice and Sammy were busy bickering over memories, Henry looks to Bendy who approaches him looking a bit solemn

“Anythin’ I can do for ya? Ya don’t look all too comfortable…”

Henry closes his eyes, feeling exhaustion weighing him down as well as his pain. He then remembers the whole ink demon possession, and promptly reopens his eyes.

“I’d like to be moved somewhere softer to lay down, but I’m not sure anyone who isn’t hurt can lift me…”

Bendy taps his chin in thought likely pondering who could move him before his expression drops, turning blank for a moment. Looking panicked, he slaps his hands to the sides of his head

“AW HELL- BORIS! I’LL BE RIGHT BACK!”

Henry blinks in surprise, shocked before looking in the direction Bendy bolted off to

“WAIT! Bendy, come back- What’s going on?!”

Unfortunately for him, the demon had already taken off, leaving him questions he wanted answers to. Sighing heavily, he tunes back into the conversation of Sammy and Alice, which had apparently lost the projectionist’s attention as his gaze was back on the ceiling.

“I WISH I could remember that! It sounds hilarious! We really did that??”

Alice chuckles in amusement, making the butcher gang members all lighten up

“Yes, we did! Ah, what a fun day at the office  _ that _ was… Joey spent all day trying to find what was making the noise. Those were good times, I have to say…”

Sammy sighs in wonder, tilting his head

“I really  _ do _ wish I could remember… but this inky damned body holds nothing but my mind and traces of a few memories. If only I could find myself…”

Henry feels nervous at that wording, praying now (to any possible chance of something resembling some form of a god that wasn’t the Ink demon) that Sammy wasn’t going to become another Alice. 

“Well, maybe if you bring me those ink hearts I can help with that-”

The projectionist screeches then, startling everyone and making Sammy literally jump. Looking over, Henry could see him shaking terribly from the effort of having thrown himself to his feet, barely standing. Sammy sputters a bit before Alice tsks;

“Really, that reaction isn’t necessary every time, you creep. It’s simple and easy; I’ll give him a treatment just like I use-“ 

Once more, the projectionist screeches, lurching towards Sammy who quietly gasps thinking perhaps he was about to be struck. Instead, the projectionist grabs hold of him, shaking loudly as his equipment clanks on itself and stares him blindingly in the eye.

Henry tries to sit up himself, but finds it was still too much and sinks back down with a pained grunt. Meekly, Sammy asks;

“W-what… do you want from me?”

The projectionist leans his head in very close to Sammy’s mask before the speaker on his chest starts to furiously crackle with static like an old radio. Shaken and nervous, Sammy flinches a bit from it; and to Henry’s own surprise, barely formed static-y words sputter in and out like a program that was losing signal.

“Don’t- -bzzzzzrt- trust!- -vzzzzzzt- ALICE!”

The speech was almost incomprehensible, the voice so garbled Henry wondered if it was even human. Sammy, however, seemed even more startled than anyone as he stood shaking as hard as the projectionist. The butcher gang seemed almost equally shocked, gawking at the situation before a calm and rather soothing voice speaks from their group:

“I can fix that…” 

Sammy slowly turns his head then, as does everyone else to see that the fisher had spoken. This must’ve been unusual, as the other two butcher gang members were gawking even harder. Unfortunately, the pleasant awe is cut short as the projectionist lets out a dreadfully pained screech while collapsing to the ink.

Gasping, Sammy finally unfroze as he quickly but carefully crouches in the ink, holding the projectionist’s shoulders now.

“Are you alright?! I mean- clearly not, but are you hurt worse??” 

The projectionist shakes his head, making Sammy sigh with relief before Alice speaks again 

“How touching… I didn’t take you for the  _ caring  _ type Sammy…”

He puffs, ignoring her it seemed. Once more, the fisher turns, speaking quietly but clearly

“I can fix the speaker.”

Sammy and the projectionist look over, Henry slowly doing the same as the piper speaks up 

“Barley… ya really wanna help him? After everything he’s  _ done  _ to us?!”

The fisher gets a somber look before nodding 

“Maybe… we can talk it out. I don’t like violence…”

Henry found that ironic considering he’d been the one with the grenades, but perhaps there was something going on he wasn’t aware of. Humming a long ‘Hmm’ from the speakers, Alice adds:

“Maybe he should. Norman and I certainly don’t get along, but… maybe it’s time to try and make… ugh…  _ relation _ efforts…”

Henry notes how pained and disgusted she sounded about it, but personally wonders; was she changing too? Either way, he was grateful as it could mean more potential allies; he’d hate to have to leave her behind after what she’d suffered.

The projectionist then looks to Sammy, who quietly asks him;

“Do you want me to free them?...”

The projectionist silently stares before he nods ever so slightly. Henry watches as Sammy sighs quietly, walking over to the butcher gang and carefully examining the rather thick rope binding them. It seemed freeing them was going to be difficult. 

That is, until the piper rips the rope free with a swift jerk of his left arm using his hatchet hand.

Hopping up, everyone’s attention was now trained on said piper, who blinks before realizing and letting out a hearty laugh (much to Henry’s aching dismay) and speaks;

“You’re all probably thinkin’ ‘why didn’t you just do that in the first place!’, Eh? Well, answer is: I didn’t feel like it!”

The striker gives a look that Henry felt could’ve melted someone if he’d had a laser for an eye before responding 

“You… did not… feel like it?”

The piper laughs more gleefully, the fisher getting up while shaking his head a little as the striker starts yelling and scuffling with the still laughing piper. Sammy shakes his own head as well, turning to follow the fisher over to the projectionist. Henry can’t help but smile now; it was all so ridiculous… like a live cartoon.

Waddling cautiously up to the projectionist, the fisher kneels almost fearlessly right in front of him as the flickering light washes over him like an ominous beam of judgement. However, neither made a move to harm the other; instead, the projectionist carefully adjusts himself into a sitting position so the fisher could inspect the speaker attached to his chest. Sammy nervously observes from above, asking;

“Is it fixable?”

The fisher nods, gently reaching out and touching it now.

“It’s bad… but not unfixable. Gonna need my tools though…”

Nearby, the loud squabbling between the striker and piper stops as the striker turns with a look of disbelief

“You mean bringing them into our hideout?!”

The fisher looks over with a frown as the piper shrugs and grins 

“Guess we gotta be buddy buddy now! Works fer me!”

The striker huffs loudly, getting aggressive 

“IT DOES NOT FOR ME! How many of our brethren has he slaughtered?! How many times has he injured and nearly killed us?! I will NOT idle by and be his friend, nor allow our enemy behind our lines!!”

The projectionist growls warningly at him, but the striker stands his ground, stamping a foot

“You know what you have done! I will NOT easily FORGIVE YOU!”

The projectionist seemed like he was considering attack while both Sammy and the fisher became nervous. Worried that things were about to devolve back into fighting, Henry wished he could move because there wasn’t much he could do laying on a bunch broken wooden planks. 

The striker and projectionist were locked in a glaring standoff now, Sammy trying to hold him from standing up again while the Piper grabbed one of the striker’s arms to hold him back as well. Glancing between both parties, the fisher seemed quite unhappy to be caught in the middle.

Before tensions can escalate further however, there was a loud clashing over the speakers followed by a rather startling scream; immediately all of the butcher gang members jumped to attention, the striker looking horrified

“MY ANGEL!! Quick- we must return to her at once!! Leave these fools and the supplies, we protect Alice first and foremost!”

With that, the three butcher gang members were already taking off and disappearing as Henry, Sammy, and the projectionist all were trying to figure out what was going on. Henry could hear the sound of things clattering around as well as frantic yelling from Alice, but couldn’t make out what was going on.

“NO! HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE?! GET BACK- GET BACK! SOMEBODY HELP ME-”

Looking confused and nervous, Sammy turns in circles before focusing on Henry as if begging the question ‘What are we supposed to do?!’. Unsure, Henry continues listening as an even louder smashing noise rattles over the speakers, making even the projectionist look up with a start. Soon, more yelling ensued

“ _ WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! _ ”

“Savin’ yer BUTT lady! Now c’mon, if ya wanna LIVE!”

Feeling a sinking in his chest, Henry recognized Bendy’s voice; what was he doing in her lair?! What was  _ happening _ in her lair?! His many questions were quickly answered as an all too familiar heartbeat began to pound over the speakers, accompanied by blood chilling hissing.

It was the Ink demon. 

And there was nothing Henry could do about it now but hope.


	13. Face to Face Chase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After rescuing Alice from the Ink demon, Bendy rejoins the others with her, Boris, and the butcher gang to figure out what the next step will be. Figuring out a plan, Henry takes the lead preparing to face the Ink demon once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mild fighting violence
> 
> NOTE: I apologize for how late these chapters are! As college starts up again things will only get busier so updates will continue to be sporadic. Thank you all for your continued patience; editing and drawing makes updates very slow!

* * *

Lifting a screaming Alice over his head in an adrenaline fueled feat of strength, Bendy throws her into the air as she shrills, narrowly saving her from a blast of ink the Ink demon had flung right at them. It harmlessly sails around Bendy without touching him as he scuttles around trying to catch the still screaming angel, who practically crushes him to the floor with a grunt.

Quickly popping back up now holding her over his head again, Bendy scrambles before jumping up and over a chair as one of Alice’s workbenches is thrown clear beneath them. Thankfully, Bendy was able to predict what that ink headed moron was going to do because they thought alike enough; unfortunately, he also knew what he was _going to do_ if he got his hands on them. 

Running fast as his rather short legs lugging a screaming woman could go, Bendy turned his floating head 180 only to see the Ink demon was hot on their tail; literally, considering he was knocking sparking equipment over that was lighting things on fire. Bendy had no idea the place could even _catch_ fire, but now that it had, he found it very out of place- especially since the flames were sepia toned. He should’ve figured as much however, considering the candles everywhere.

Still screaming, Alice kicks her legs uselessly making Bendy stumble and glare ahead as his head spins back around

“LADY! YER NOT HELPIN’ BY DOIN’ THAT; STOP KICKIN’!”

“HE’S RIGHT BEHIND US AND TRYING TO KILL US!”

“YEAH, ‘M WELL AWARE!”

Just then, Bendy throws open a hallway door that the Ink demon splats right into with a sickeningly loud squelch on the other side. Bits of ink go flying everywhere, but Bendy doesn’t stop to laugh as much as he’d love to; the angry roar behind him was more than enough reason why. He wasn’t actually sure where he was supposed to be running to, he just knew they had to put enough distance between them and the Ink demon to live. Hopefully.

“LOOK OUT!”

Blinking, Bendy turns his head again only to skid with a loud “YIPES!” as he flattens both of them to the floor; the door the Ink demon had run into sailed past them splattering ink everywhere like an unfortunate frisbee before breaking on a distant wall. Alice shoves at him, struggling

“Get OFF of me!!”

“Lady, I am tryin’ REAL hard not ta just leave ya to him as is!”

Getting up now, he starts pulling her arm instead figuring it’d probably be faster; of course, she wasn’t making it easy trying to pull it away still.

“Stop TOUCHING me! I can save MYSELF!”

“Sure didn’t seem that way when I first showed up and saved yer sorry butt!”

“Well I don’t need you _now_!”

“Oh yeah? what’s yer brilliant plan then?! Because runnin’ ain’t it!”

Huffing, she yanks him this time as more ink hurls down the hall after them; they were now inside a side room he hadn’t noticed before. Shutting the door, Alice was already pushing a desk in front of it glaring at Bendy

“Don’t just stand there, do something!”

“YEESH! ‘Save me! Stop saving me! Help me!’ lady make up yer MIND!”

He helps blockade the door regardless though, which wouldn’t hold for long but it would give them a moment to think as the Ink demon angrily slams on it from the other side. Looking around the room, Bendy can’t see any other way out; it seemed they were trapped.

“What’d ya drag us in here for?! We’re dead!”

“No, we’re _not_.”

Just then, she knocks on a wall and a secret passage quickly opens as the butcher gang responds to her code. Hurrying inside, she motions for Bendy to follow who hesitates

“What about Boris?!”

Alice huffs, giving him a dirty look

“Already taken care of! He’s right here; now _hurry_!”

Bendy scuttles fast he can then, the blockaded door slamming a bit open as the Ink demon’s arm angrily flails around through it. Like he figured, it had grown back just fine!

“Don’t gotta tell me twice!”

Once they were all inside, the butcher gang quickly shut and locked what was a secret metal blast door disguised as a section of the wall; there was no way the Ink demon would be getting through. At least, Bendy hoped as much. Following the group rushing down the hall, he jogs up to the front where Alice was, giving her a look

“Alright, where’s Boris then?? Also has anyone noticed the weird amount of blast doors in this place?”

As he asks, they exit into the butcher gang’s hideout area where Boris was pulling on tool belts and grabbing weapons. Bendy runs over to him forgetting about the doors, relieved and actually rather glad to see him; and surprisingly, the friendly wolf must’ve felt the same as he scoops up the little demon in a big hug.

“Boris! Buddy! Yer alright!! I’m sorry I took so long ta come back fer ya; it was a mess!”

Whining, Boris looks to the front door of the hideout that had shadows slowly encroaching around it; the Ink demon had tracked them already, and was coming. Alice grabs up the tommy gun and some of her own gear now, the butcher gang also suiting up for battle.

“We don’t have time for friendly exchanges; let’s go!”

Getting carried by Boris, Bendy looks behind them at the door as it turns dark with the growling of the Ink demon clearly behind it. Edgar opens another passageway quickly, bowing and allowing Alice to go first with a ‘my Angel,’ that makes Bendy cringe a little. Jumping from Boris’ arms who whines about it, he runs after Alice while the rest quickly follow; they were not done talking.

“Whaddya think those weapons are gonna do, huh?? Ya realize they don’t work on ‘im right?”

“They’re not for him. They’re for everything else”

“Everythin’ else??”

“If i’m going to get dragged down into this hell with you all, I might as well bring something to protect myself!”

Blinking a few times, Bendy starts hopping after her now excitedly

“Yer comin’ with us?! Really??”

She glares at him making him quickly drop the happy demeanor

“I don’t have a _choice_ now that the Ink demon has found and destroyed my lair! This is _your_ fault, you know!”

“My fault?! I didn’t lead that stupid ink-head anywhere near- ohhhh… actually, yer right…”

She gives him an incriminating look as he shrugs helplessly in return back at her. Boris from behind whines even louder than before, Charley speaking what the wolf couldn’t

“He’s gotten in and comin’! We gotta do something!”

Bendy skids to a halt, letting the others run past, but they slow down to a stop turning to him as Alice yells

“What are you DOING?!”

“Don’t wait fer me, keep runnin’! I’m gonna do what I was meant to earlier… i’m gonna be the bait”

Alice stares at him in disbelief, Edgar doing the same before Charley laughs and salutes him and Barley nods. Shaking her head, she gestures for them to continue on, the four leaving without hesitation as Alice calls over her shoulder

“Your funeral, demon!”

Boris, however, didn’t budge while still whining loudly. Bendy turns to him, looking determined

“Buddy, yer gonna have ta trust me, okay? I know what i’m doin’. Just go help Henry; he’s hurt, an’ he needs ya, okay?”

Boris quickly hugs Bendy then, making him stare a bit before he quickly hugs back then shoves him away

“GO!”

Still looking reluctant, Boris finally turns away running after the others, glancing back now and again. Watching them all go, Bendy sighs knowing what was in store for him next… part of him wanted to still run, but he had to help his friends.

Broken from his thoughts, Bendy gets grabbed and turned face to face by the Ink demon, gasping and kicking his legs in surprise. The Ink demon raises an arm, about to use his ink to catch the wolf before Bendy uses his own ink power to overburden pipes surrounding the hall until they burst. The resulting explosion blocked out the hallway that was now quickly flooding with ink, much to the clear anger and frustration of the Ink demon. Smirking, Bendy winces a bit as his shoulder he’s being held by is crushed.

“N-Not so fast, Ink stain! Yer not gettin’ them anytime soon, ya hear me?! Long as i’m in the way, yer not gettin’ _anything_!”

The Ink demon’s smile twists into an angry snarl, twitching menacingly in his face. Sweating a bit, Bendy keeps up his smug demeanor not wanting to show his fear.

“Y-Ya just gonna keep blowin’ yer stink breath in my face? Or are ya gonna fight me?”

Slowly, the Ink demon’s teeth melt back into the cold grin he had before; it seemed he was keen on accepting the suggestion. Bracing himself, Bendy gets thrown hard at the rubble of the collapsed hallway; before he hits too hard, he quickly throws up an arm to catch himself with ink, softening the impact. Quickly regaining himself now, he looks up as the Ink demon lunges with extended claws for him again.

Diving between the Ink demon’s clumsy legs, Bendy slides through the flooded hall further away before turning and throwing a sharp splinter of wood he’d grabbed up at the Ink demon. Turning too slow, the Ink demon roars as the wood sticks in his chest with an unpleasant squelch. Pulling it free (clearly not hurt by it), the Ink demon throws it aside, twitching all over with rage. Bendy stands firm regardless as the ink continues rising, still grinning back.

“Yer not so scary, ya know that? Yer nothin’ without me, an’ this won’t end in anythin’ but a stalemate!”

Standing up to his full twisted height, the Ink demon’s demeanor quiets and the room becomes eerily silent aside from the sound of ink pouring in. Blinking, Bendy slowly straightens himself out as well, noting that the ink was now soon going to be waist level for himself.

The Ink demon was silently staring off, making Bendy feel a bit nervous, when finally a dark chuckle comes from him; then the unnerving multilayered demonic voice of the Ink demon speaks, yet his mouth doesn’t open once the whole time:

“ _You’re bold for the leftover scrap you are… You say i’m nothing without you… but really.. You’re the one who needs /me/_ ”

Bendy blinks at that before glaring, getting defensive

“I don’t need ya fer anythin’! Yer evil, mean, and full a nothin’ but grudges an’ hatred! Nobody would ever love you!”

Looking taken aback, the Ink demon’s grin turns back into a frown as he growls loudly, his stance becoming hostile again

“ _You know nothing! Are you /really/ so foolish?! If nobody can love me… then surely, nobody can love /you/._ ”

Bendy frowns himself now, feeling rather stricken by the Ink demon’s words before he clenches his fists tearing up

“NO! YOU’RE _WRONG!_ I DON’T NEED YA! YER NOT PART OF ME! YER NOT ME!”

The Ink demon cackles as the ink in the room starts swirling around them, both fighting for control of it to attack the other now. 

“ _Part of one another or not, you haven’t been telling them the truth- how long until they find out what you /really/ are? Where you /really/ came from? Would dear Henry love you /then/?_ ”

“SHUT UUUUP!”

The Ink demon only seemed amused at Bendy’s frustration, which made him even angrier- but what did he know?? He knew nothing about Henry! He was only an angry useless copy- not the real Bendy like him! At least, that’s what he kept telling himself.

Seemingly noticing a falter in Bendy’s thoughts, the Ink demon smirks at him infuriatingly about to take advantage of it to attack. However, before their scuffle can escalate much further, the Ink demon suddenly looks up at the ceiling in silence seemingly forgetting their conflict and listening to… nothing?

“HEY! What’re ya lookin’ at, Ink brain?! We’re in the middle of somethin’, an’ I ain’t lettin’ you get away!”

Ignoring him however, the Ink demon hisses in frustration as he begins to melt through the floor instead- he was _leaving_. Surprised and frustrated, Bendy runs at him yelling angrily

“No! NO! Ya can’t just _run away_ ya _COWARD!_ COME BACK AN’ FIGHT ME!”

However, the Ink demon was already gone and he was left alone. Frustrated, Bendy yells before stamping his foot and making all of the ink slam through the weakened blockage in the hallway, clearing it out. The Ink demon’s voice echoes from all around as Bendy shakes with fury

“ _I must leave for now, but you will be seeing me again… don’t you doubt that, /liar/_ ”

Clutching his fists even harder and squeezing his eyes shut tight, Bendy clenches his teeth before yelling loudly as he can shaking everything as the ink responds to his fury. Slowly, the yell devolves into sobbing as he collapses to his knees, holding his head as everything settles back to quiet. Frustrated, frightened, and overwhelmed he couldn’t help it now.

“I-I’m NOT a liar! I’m not lying! Yer not me, an’ I don’t need you, because yer not me! They can and _do_ love me!... They won’t leave me...”

Holding himself now, Bendy sobs quietly to himself shaking and surrounded by ink; he felt as alone as when he had first formed, and it was truly awful. The Ink demon, unfortunately, knew exactly what to say to get to him as much as Bendy knew him. All he could think was how badly he wanted to see Henry…

Sniffling, Bendy calms down enough to hear footsteps; jerking his head up to see who was coming, he watches as Edgar flinches back a bit from the sudden movement. Staring silently at him, Bendy looks away quickly, still holding himself quite aware he was shaking. Despite clearly being embarrassed and feeling vulnerable, he doesn’t snap as Edgar walks closer before kneeling in front of him.

“Are you alright?...”

Bendy sniffs, not looking at him while shrugging

“Fine. Just… fine.”

Edgar sighs, and Bendy could tell he was shaking his head from his peripheral. Slowly looking at the striker now, he pouts

“What do ya want? Don’t think I’ll believe ya sayin’ ya care about me or some sap… ya hardly even _know_ me.”

Edgar blinks at that, frowning

“You saved us, and our Angel. I wanted to thank you for so selflessly sacrificing yourself… that… that is truly chivalrous. I must say I misjudged you quite a bit” 

Staring at Edgar, Bendy can feel himself getting a bit flustered before he shakes his head and looks down still pouting

“What’s all the sap fer, huh?? It wasn’t that big a deal!...”

Edgar smiles at him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder

“It is to me, and the others. I wanted to make sure you were alright, and perhaps return the favor…”

“What?? Return it how?”

Edgar looked like he was thinking for a moment before he smiles, clearly having gotten an idea. Moving closer in front of Bendy, he holds out his three arms in an offering gesture that makes the demon stare at him.

“You… can’t be serious.”

Edgar, however, was silently still holding the gesture regardless; Bendy frowns, pretending he wasn’t interested as he slowly frowns more and more. 

Suddenly, he found himself sniffling before shoving into Edgar’s arms clinging in a tight hug. In return, the striker wraps his arms around Bendy in a surprisingly comforting hug. Closing his eyes tightly, Bendy sighs shakily, trying to relax himself but he was clearly shaking still. Thankfully, Edgar said nothing and simply was comforting him- which, honestly, he was incredibly grateful for. It seemed he knew just what he needed.

Silently clinging in the hug for a while, Bendy slowly calms down enough before he opens his eyes a bit, gazing over Edgar’s shoulder down the hall where the others had fled; it was rather destroyed and ink stained now.

“...Why’d ya come back fer me?”

Edgar shifts a bit as if wondering about the question

“You saved our lives. I wanted to make sure you had not lost yours in doing so.”

Huffing a small laugh under his breath, Bendy slumps on him more

“Ya really care?... doesn’t make much sense…”

Edgar gently pats his shoulder a bit before responding

“Perhaps not as much as close friends would, but I do think of you as more than a stranger at least. And who knows… with the way Charley and Barley seem to have taken to you, I have a feeling we’ll get to know one another better.”

Letting go of the hug now, Edgar looks Bendy in the eye who gives him a questioning look before responding

“Yeah? Well, I hope that’s a good thing…”

Edgar snorts a bit, grinning now

“I hope so too; the last thing we need is another Charley…”

Bendy grins himself now, nodding; he felt a lot better now thankfully. He liked Edgar more now, despite their earlier ‘conflictions’…

“So, that chivalry thing… ‘s that why yer here?..”

He gets smug as the striker flusters at him, looking away to rub the back of his head with two arms

“N-No! Well… a little. I also wanted to express gratitude!”

Bendy snickers, sighing and nodding

“Don’t get all twisted ‘bout it, i’m just yankin’ yer chain.”

Edgar blinks before smiling again at that, giving him a look

“You better watch yourself; mess with me, and you could get the wrong end of my sword”

Bendy shrugs, getting up and slowly stating to walk down the hall after the others now

“Meh, been there already; nothin’ I can’t handle!”

Edgar puffs at that, hurrying over to catch up walking with him now

“Pardon you, I am still no one to trifle with!”

Bendy laughs now, grinning at him 

“Trifle or not, I ain’t afraid of you- yer far too nice under your ‘scary’ shtick.”

Oddly, the striker seemed to fluster and glance away at that. Raising a brow, Bendy wonders what’s up with this guy. He seemed to be acting really strange… and that made him want to mess with him even more.

“Can I ask ya something’?”

Edgar looks to him now, raising his own brow

“What?”

“If Yer tryin’ ta be all proper an’ sophisticated… why aren’tcha wearin’ any clothes? Ya realize just because me an’ Barley don’t doesn’t mean we’re any less naked. Charley wears clothes after all.”

Staring now looking like he’d just been shot, Edgar’s mouth hangs open at that realization. Promptly, he starts looking very embarrassed making Bendy snort before laughing even harder

“OH MAN! YER FACE! HAHAHA!”

Edgar crosses his arms, looking away and grumping again

“It is not funny!! And just.. It is different for cartoons! Right?”

Laughing more, Bendy wheezes

“NO! We’re still NAKED! HAHAHA”

Edgar now seemed very conscious, and Bendy felt he would be laughing himself unconscious if he took it any further. He felt a _little_ bad, but mostly absolutely delighted in the striker’s embarrassment; he lived off of toying with people after all. Still, he _had_ just come all this way to find and comfort him...

“Alright alright, I’m sorry I pointed it out! Yer fine, I promise- I was just messin’ with ya again, ‘s not a bad thing!”

Edgar looked unconvinced however, shaking his head

“Whatever you say… just do not mention it to the others.”

Bendy grins with a shrug; it all was rather humorous and lightening the mood, but something was still nagging him a bit. 

It couldn’t be over this easily… it never would be. He could feel it in every drop of his being that the Ink demon would be back, and next time, he wouldn’t be giving up so easily. They’d been lucky for now, but just how long until that luck ran out?...

  * POV Change: Henry Stein



“Alright Henry, on three; this is going to hurt a _lot_ , so sorry in advance. also, try not to pass out.”

Giving an unamused look over to Sammy, the music director gives Henry a look right back

“What? I’m just saying, it wouldn’t be great if you passed out! We wouldn’t know if we were hurting you worse!”

“Just get it over with…”

“Right. Ready, Boris?”

Boris nods as the two then take hold of Henry by his legs and shoulders, preparing to lift him onto a makeshift stretcher the fisher (who he found liked to be called Barley) had thrown together for them. Bracing himself, Henry knew this was going to be an awful experience.

“Alright… one… two… three!”

Both Boris and Sammy lifted him then with their combined efforts, freeing Henry from the wooden rubble he’d been laying in. The movement however had him seeing stars before everything goes blank- it felt as if someone had turned on a taser right in the middle of his spine, and it shot through his limbs with burning agony. Inhaling deeply, Henry feels himself go numb for a moment before he finds himself reopening his eyes he didn’t know he’d closed, seeing numerous concerned faces leaning over him. Sammy was first to speak:

“You passed out.”

Henry grunts quietly before responding

“Yeah… I kind of figured by the way I stopped feeling things for a moment there. How long?...”

From nearby, Alice, who had also been given rubber boots to avoid the ink, speaks

“At least it was only briefly. If you pass out again, it could be for hours if not days.”

Henry frowns at that

“You sound like you speak from experience.”

“I like running tests on my equipment to make sure it works… including Barely’s grenades.”

The projectionist growls at her, not happy at her presence; he’d been agitated ever since she and her group had come barreling into the ink abyss. Fortunately, he held back his grudge for the time and was at the least barely tolerating her. How long it’d be before he stopped tolerating her, Henry didn’t know, but he hoped it would last long enough for them to get to safety at least. 

He turns his attention to Sammy as he speaks again;

“At least you’re on something we can move instead of you now; it should make it a bit more bearable…”

Sighing, Henry looks off into the distance worried about Bendy

“Yeah, a bit…”

Alice catches where he was looking and shakes her head at him

“You worry too much; Edgar is fetching him already, they’ll be back before you know it. He’s the best fighter of my bunch, i’m sure it’ll be fine…”

The piper, who Henry had learned goes by Charley, snorts before smirking

“Maybe, but he still couldn’t beat the projectionist! The Ink demon’ll have him on a platter-”

Barley elbows him gently, making him blink and sigh while rolling his eye

“I’m just jokin’. They’ll be fine; Ed is a good guy, and I think he actually likes Bendy.”

Henry looks to him, still uncertain, but he sighs accepting the fact he’d just have to keep hoping they were okay

“Alright… I just want to be sure though.”

He looks to Boris then, who also seemed worried before smiling at the silent wolf who looks down at him

“Thank you for helping me Boris… and you too, Sammy.”

Sammy shrugs, acting aloof about it

“Really don’t have much of a choice; if you die, then the rest of us will be lost around here… you’re the new prophet, after all.”

Henry makes a face at him for that, groaning; unsurprisingly, the others all groaned as well including the projectionist. Looking offended, Sammy holds out his arms to both sides

“What?! It’s true! The lord has chosen him! He receives visions, interprets for him, and guides us all to our eventual freedom- that’s the definition of a prophet!”

Alice chuckles at him, shaking her head

“You sound like a lunatic cultist… whatever happened to you, Lawrence? You used to be so sophisticated and intelligent…”

Even more offended now, he bristles sputtering

“WH- I- WELL! If you need me, I’ll be _elsewhere!_ ”

Henry frowns, looking over and wincing from it

“Please don’t go far, we need to stick together now more than ever”

Waving a hand and huffing, he calls over his shoulder while walking

“I’m not going _that_ far; just around the corner, and away from this!”

Thankfully, the projectionist skulks after him away from Alice; it seemed her earlier comment of his interest in Sammy was true, because he was always listening and reacting the most to him over anyone. Looking over to her now, Alice seems amused with her arms crossed still; Henry was curious about one thing…

“We never found your cure… what are you going to do now?”

Blinking at the question, Alice seems to ponder his words before shrugging at him

“I’m not sure. I’ve been feeling rather _crummy_ since I’ve been unable to upkeep myself without the necessary parts, and soon i’ll start- eugh- _melting…_ so either i’m taking the hearts you’re stashing here, or you’ll have to watch me die. Would you _really_ want that, Henry?”

Frowning himself, he isn’t sure what to say; he didn’t want her dissolving and getting lost in the ink, but he _really_ didn’t want to feed her murderous addiction of using soul pieces for her stabilization. There had to be _something_ they could do…

“I don’t, but… well, there’s always another way. We’ll figure it out, i’m sure of it.”

She gives him an unconvinced look, shaking her head

“You seem to spew about hope as much as Joey and his _dreams_ . It sounds cheesy, fake, and is suffocating. You can’t fix _everything_ with hope, Henry…”

Henry frowns at her, looking determined despite her cynicism

“Maybe not, but holding onto it is always worth it. _Always_. It’s what keeps people going no matter what… and losing it is what turns you into Joey.”

Alice blinks, looking taken aback by that; Barley, Charley, and Boris all turn to him curiously now as well. Alice puts her hands on her hips, now questioning him;

“And what do you mean by _that?_ ”

Henry sighs, looking up at the ceiling furrowing his brow

“Because of reaching too far and falling, Joey had empty dreams that resulted in this. He was desperately clinging onto shreds of a false reality and misplaced his hopes; what he _should_ have been hoping for was no matter the result of his studio that he’d have friends and family. Instead… well, you know.”

Closing his eyes, Henry recounts how forlorn and tired his once companion had been when the studio closed all those years ago…

“If you lose or misplace your hope… you end up clinging to things that have nothing left for you, or losing yourself entirely. And if you lose yourself, you fall into nothing but trouble and despair. I’ve been able to keep myself together in this place because of my desire to see my family, right what Joey did wrong, and be free again… because of my hope”

He looks to Alice who simply smiles at him, still shaking her head

“You give speeches just like him... only, I was wrong about one thing… yours at least aren’t _completely_ full of lies. You at least actually _believe_ what you say. But I still digress; Hope won’t fix me.”

Henry grins then, the two butcher gang members looking at him questioningly once more as Boris seems equally confused.

“That’s what you think. In fact… you just gave me an idea.”

Before he can explain however, splashing footsteps in the ink draws all of their attention over to the tunnel entrance as Bendy and Edgar come walking in. Boris looks relieved and happy to see the little demon, holding his arms out to Bendy who grins and gives him a brief hug

“Hey buddy! Told ya i’d make it! Ol’ Inky got scared an’ ran off.”

Henry raises an eyebrow at that, feeling rather skeptical

“Really? You scared him away?”

Bendy shrugs, still grinning before waving a hand dismissively

“Nah; I dunno why he left, he really did just leave instead ‘a fightin’ me...”

“But?”

Bendy blinks, looking at Henry blankly

“What? Whaddya mean ‘but’?”

“You look like you’re thinking something. What else about him?”

Bendy stares for a moment before sighing and drooping a bit

“...But he said he’d be back soon. He ain’t givin’ up that easily.”

Edgar walks over to the other butcher gang members who looked concerned, Alice crossing her arms and speaking

“Then we need to do something, because if we’re caught off guard it’ll be a disaster. Does this place have _any_ defenses?”

The projectionist comes skulking back into the area as if purposefully timed, looking to her; Looking unamused herself, she adds

“Ah, yes… him. He’s the only defense down here.”

Henry sighs heavily at that before answering her

“And not one we can use against the Ink demon.”

Everyone’s attention turns to him at that besides Bendy, who knew what he meant. Henry was recalling the fight between the projectionist and the Ink demon he’d usually watch from that particular miracle station… the one where the Ink demon always won.

Sammy looked concerned now, asking;

“What do you mean by that? You sound like you know something.”

Henry gives a sympathetic look to the projectionist who was staring at him.

“I mean that fighting the Ink demon is certain death. There’s nothing that can stop him.”

Irritated, Edgar steps forward then looking a bit desperate

“There has to be _something_ we can do! If we keep running, he’ll simply catch up, and we _certainly_ cannot run forever!”

Henry stares for a long moment before bleakly looking to the side

“I’m afraid that’s all I’ve ever done… run and hide. Fighting the Ink demon never works. I’ve tried.”

All around it seemed the general mood had become rather dismal at that; there was no fighting chance, just running and hiding. Henry had never been able to stop the Ink demon before, but they needed hope… if they didn’t _believe_ they could win, they wouldn’t ever have a chance.

Inhaling deeply, Henry gains everyone’s attention before speaking

“Just because we can’t fight him doesn’t mean there’s nothing we can do. There’s many things I haven’t tried that we can no- like luring him into a trap for one thing. It’s something I’ve never tried… which is what I think our best option is here. If we can catch him, and keep him caught, then we can figure it out from there.”

Bendy looked rather nervous at that, holding his hands before his mouth as if he were biting his nails through his gloves

“ _Catch him?!_ I-I mean, _maybe_ , but _keeping_ him caught… that’s like tryin’ ta keep ink in yer hands! He’ll leak through!”

At that, Alice smirks and steps forward turning the attention on her now

“Actually… it’s possible. How do you think I kept him out of my lair for so long? He can’t phase through glass and metal. Squeeze around it, sure, but not _through_ it. My lair _was_ sealed, but thanks to someone sneaking around, it was broken…”

She eyes Bendy, who nervously smiles and feigns innocence. Sammy leans forward then, curious

“So you’re suggesting… we trap him in what, a giant jar??

Alice rolls her eyes at him, shaking her head

“Very funny, but no; unless you happen to _have_ one…”

Henry furrows his brow thinking about that, then looks to them as realization hits him

“Actually… we _do_ ”

Everyone turns to him confused and surprised, many faces of disbelief staring at him. 

“The ink machine… the _old_ ink machine; the smaller one. On the back of it was a large interchangeable glass container that held ink. There should be leftover containers like it in storage somewhere since Joey upgraded the machine…”

A loud fingersnap draws the crowd’s attention to Bendy then

“You’re right! I remember that! I dunno where they are, but I _vaguely_ remember a lotta complainin’ from employees who had to move the things…”

Sammy chin hands, furrowing his brow too

“That sounds familiar, but I don’t know why… it makes me feel almost irritated. And wait- you were there before the studio closed??”

Alice snorts at him, giving him a look

“That’s because you’re thinking of our old janitor, Wally, Whom you did not get along with. Though that is odd… when _did_ you come about, Bendy?”

Bendy shrugged a bit nervously at that

“‘s hard ta say; I can’t really remember a whole lot before this place…”

To Bendy’s seeming relief, Sammy changed the topic along with his posture suddenly as it became straight while he exclaimed;

“That name! Wally!.”

Pausing now, he falls silent and doesn’t move. Alice raises an eyebrow, as does Henry, before she leans in a bit

“You alright in there?...”

Sammy doesn’t respond however, making the projectionist move over to him before gently touching his shoulder. Stumbling back a bit holding his head, Sammy shakes it a little before looking up to the concerned group

“...Sorry. I accidentally fell into some memories… I remember the janitor. Wally, right? How annoying…”

Alice smiles at him, actually seeming glad about it; Henry was feeling happy too, because if Sammy was getting his memories back, it was a good sign of recovery. The moment was quickly forgotten however as the quiet Barley speaks up;

“...I remember seeing them. I know where we can find them, but it’s dangerous… the Ink demon will be wandering near them”

Charley looks concerned at that, shaking his head and looking to Alice

“My lady, I don’t know if we should risk that. Barley… I mean, none of us can fend that guy off.”

Edgar sighs in disappointment, adding,

“Nor can we hide from him. His shadows always find us.”

Bendy frowns at that, rubbing the back of his head

“Yeah… they’re like, an extension of his senses. He can’t see all too wel,l so he uses that ink ta feel out the place. Hidin’ don’t work.”

They all turn their attention to Henry then, who gets the sense they’re going to be looking to him for leadership now; he was becoming a bit used to it by now, but still found it nerve wracking.

“Right… the only person who can is me.”

Sammy snorts at him, giving him an incredulous look

“You? You can’t even move without pain, how’re you supposed to sneak by the Ink demon and carry a heavy glass container?”

Taking a deep breath, Henry could feel his body ache, but it seemed the effects of the chemical grenade were finally wearing off; the projectionist nearby was also recovering, so it must’ve been for him too. The pain was still bad, but he forces himself to sit up with a grunting effort that makes Bendy and Boris worry and fuss over him.

“Henry, stop movin’! Yer hurt!”

Boris whines adding on, but Henry still sits up despite it

“It’s fine; i’ll be fine. The formula is wearing off, and i’m feeling better enough.”

The group looked unconvinced, and Sammy sighs

“So, what, your bit of regained health is going to change the fact you’d still have to carry a giant heavy glass jar?”

Shaking his head, Henry looks to Bendy with a smile, who blinks at him looking confused

“What?”

“I’m going to take a page from your book. I’m going to be bait.”

At that, Bendy’s eyes widen before he frowns while the others all fuss in their own ways over him;

“You’ll get yourself killed!”

“Henry, you’re really not _that_ talented, even if you survived my errands!”

“Ya can’t!! He’ll kill ya!”

“You truly have lost your mind, my good sir”

“Nice knowin’ ya pal!”

Boris whines as the projectionist clicks at him, and Barley shrugs before adding

“...I think it’s not a bad idea.”

As everyone turns to him, the fisher gets a bit nervous

“I-I mean… he’s able to hide and capture the demon’s attention better than us…”

Henry nods before looking to Bendy again

“Plus, i’ll have you.”

Bendy stares quietly before walking towards him a bit

“Ya mean it?? You’ll let me help?”

“Yeah, I mean it. You survived the Ink demon earlier… I have a feeling you can help me with this.”

Henry wasn’t saying something he was thinking; he knew the Ink demon and Bendy had some kind of connection, even if he wasn’t letting anyone in on it. Bendy seemed like he could always tell what the Ink demon was thinking, where he’d be next, and all kinds of details about him even Henry didn’t know himself. Bendy had experience, and that was exactly what he needed.

Boris, however, was pulling his ears and whining while Sammy steps forward with his concerns

“You’re going to risk this lord at the hands of the other?! Are you mad?!”

Henry gives him a look over that

“You didn’t seem to protest the idea of sticking one in a jar…”

“That’s because it wouldn’t _hurt_ him! As disgraceful as it is, we need to try and pacify him so we can speak _somehow_ …”

Rolling his eyes, Henry holds out his arms to Bendy, who runs up to him happily and clings to him in a hug

“We’ll be fine. Besides… even if he gets me, i’ll come right back. And I have a feeling our little demon here knows what he’s doing”

He ruffles Bendy’s head, who gets huffy and puffs at him angrily

“I ain’t LITTLE! But, yeah… I know what i’m doin’! The Ink demon wouldn’t _dare_ think about killin’ me.”

Alice seemed curious at that, as does Sammy and the rest; there was a lot Henry knew Bendy wasn’t telling them, and he wished he would. There must’ve been a reason he wasn’t however, so for now he’d leave it be and be patient with it.

Struggling now, Henry lets go of Bendy as he tries getting up, but finds it was incredibly difficult still and really painful; on the bright side, he wasn’t passing out, and the pain was mostly burning aches instead of electric shocks to his spine. While considering his pain, Henry could suddenly feel himself almost being lifted by what felt like an invisible force to his feet. Looking around himself in wonder, all he sees is some ink dripping off him… interesting.

Reaching out towards Bendy again, the demon hops into his arms as he holds him up now while looking to the others

“Right; so here’s the plan,”

Everyone approaches him in a semi circle then, even the projectionist who was curious as to where this was going;

“Me and Bendy are going to distract and lure the Ink demon away from the area Barley needs to access. Boris, you and the projectionist are going to go with him to carry the glass container back here to the abyss. Alice, I want you, Charley, and Edgar to start setting up any kind of defenses in this area that you can; and if you can find a way, drain some of this ink. The Ink demon will have a _field day_ in this stuff if we don’t pull this off.”

Sammy huffs, giving Henry a look

“What about me?”

“You have a choice; either you can help Alice here with defenses, or go with Barley’s group to get the glass container.”

The projectionist makes a quieter version of his typical piercing screech, making Sammy look to him

“Oh fine… i’ll go with your group.”

The projectionist seemed pleased at that, looking back to Henry who looks to Barley then

“When you get the glass container back here, start working on a trap for the Ink demon. Once it’s ready and everyone else is safely out of the way, me and Bendy are going to lure the Ink demon right in here to the trap. Got that?”

Barley nods, and Henry looks to the group smiling now with confidence

“Alright; We’re going to catch ourselves an Ink demon.”


	14. A Part of Me, A Lie From You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the truth begins to show, Bendy and Henry become trapped by the Ink demon sharing a few thoughts. All the small surprises only leave Henry with more questions, and more worries for their friends...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: None
> 
> NOTE: As of now, the following posted chapters are going to have less art. This is to help ease strain on my end in trying to publish chapters on time, as well as make it easier to publish in general. There will be at least ONE drawing every update (not meaning every chapter- just every update), only having multiple images if important scenes arise needing them. Thank you for understanding and I hope you continue reading! (this chapter does not contain an image but the next one does)

* * *

Alone with Bendy now, Henry was rather quiet as they were in a new area of the Ink demon’s domain he’d never been in before. He could tell it was frequented by their inky friend however by the way it simply looked- everywhere, there were dark patches with no light, and plenty of ink pools. It seemed nobody had been through since the studio’s fall, as the walls were bare of any writing. 

  


What this meant was no ink creatures dared to venture here- even more evidence the Ink demon often lurked around, driving them away. Aside from that, Henry had a chilling feeling of unease simply being around the area which was more than enough proof for him. 

  


Shifting Bendy (whom he was carrying on his back), Henry feels the strange radio device Barley had crafted hanging off his belt; it was able to remotely communicate to the other two devices he’d handed out to their teams. This meant they could stay connected even when apart, and Henry would be able to let them know when he was coming with their featured guest. 

  


Silently, Henry can feel Bendy peering over his shoulder ahead; both of them were uncomfortable and nervous. The whole scenario was making him a bit scared, something he hadn’t felt in a while- it was new and unknown, and the unknown always made him nervous. Looking over his shoulder to his small companion, Henry asks very quietly daring to break the silence; 

  


“Do you think we should get his attention on purpose? If we don’t, he might go right to the others…” 

  


Bendy swallows, frowning and looking nervous but nodding 

  


“ ‘S what we came here ta do… it ain’t gonna be fun though.” 

  


Henry looks around, wondering where he could hide if need be; there weren’t exactly miracle stations in these halls, but there were many rooms and closets. Perhaps if he had to, he could even squeeze into vents. Wading through one of the ink flooded halls, he takes a deep breath before nodding 

  


“...Then let’s get our inky friend’s attention. Before that though, I want to ask you something Bendy.” 

  


Blinking, the demon tilts his head 

  


“What?” 

  


“What have you been hiding? I know you’re hiding a _lot_ from us. All of us. I want to know… it could be the difference between us living or dying, because it seems really important.” 

  


“I’m not hidin’ anythin’!” 

  


Just then, a chilling chorus of whispers chimed up from nowhere making Henry flinch a little; repeatedly, they were whispering: 

  


_“Liar”_

_“Lies”_

_“He’s lying to you”_

_“He’s hiding the truth”_

_“Hiding from you”_

_“Hiding and lying to himself”_

_“Hiding”_

_“Lying”_

  


Stopping and staring off into the ink, Henry slowly turns to Bendy who looked a bit mortified by the commotion. Glancing to Henry with a wild expression, he shakes his head while starting to physically shake too. At that, the whispering gets louder as even more of the voices seem to chime in together; Henry starts moving again feeling uncomfortable. 

  


“Bendy, if you’re hiding something just tell me; I promise, you can tell me anything! Whatever you’re hiding, the lost ones don’t like it!” 

  


Bendy squeezes his eyes shut tightly, still shaking his head 

  


“N-no! I can’t, I can’t- there’s nothin’ ta say-” 

  


The voices were getting unbearably loud now, making Henry stumble and kneel, wishing his arms were free so he could hold his head as they began to yell. Grimacing, he moves Bendy off his back before holding him in front of himself firmly by the shoulders 

  


“Bendy, just tell me! _Please_!” 

  


Staring, Bendy’s eyes well up with tears before he closes them tightly and sniffs, looking like he was trying to hold back really hard 

  


“I _can’t_! I-If i tell ya, you’ll hate me! Everyone’ll hate me! I’m not lyin’, I swear; I-I just-” 

  


_“Lies”_

_“Still lying”_

_“Hiding the truth”_

_“No trust”_

_“Full of lies”_

  


Henry could feel the almost tangible panic coming off of Bendy now, who desperately starts turning and yelling at the walls pointlessly 

  


“I’M NOT LYIN’! I’M NOT! IT’S NOT TRUE!” 

  


Henry clutches his head then as the voices became truly unbearable, so loud he felt like his mind was splitting open; what was happening?? Struggling and gritting his teeth, Henry yells now trying to get his own voice above the clashing noise; 

  


“BENDY, JUST TELL ME, PLEASE! IT’LL NEVER STOP IF YOU KEEP HIDING THE TRUTH!” 

  


Opening his eyes a bit from his grimace, Henry can see Bendy staring at him wide-eyed and looking helpless. Then, what he says next shocks Henry into his own wide-eyed stare: 

  


“I CAME FROM THE INK DEMON!” 

  


Immediately, all the voices went silent leaving nothing but the quiet dripping of the ink around them. Ears ringing, Henry doesn’t know what to think or say; Bendy continues, not looking at him 

  


“I split from him. He was tired a’ bein’ held back by his emotions like carin’ and wantin’ ta be good, so… he made me.” 

  


Henry blinks slowly at him now, taking in this information; Bendy… came from Bendy. Of course- it made sense now that he thought about it. Tom’s old tape coming to mind, he recalls the machine only made one Bendy, so there was only one place another could be made from. That’s how he knew everything the Ink demon did, and how he was able to connect to him too. That’s how he found him. 

  


Bendy could tell Henry was having internal realizations as he looks down again after having glanced at Henry’s face 

  


“I’ve been tryin’ ta help ya and stop him because he’s the bad one… he’s hurtin’ people, an’ hurtin’ you. I didn’t tell ya because… well, if i did, why would ya want me around? All the Ink demon has done fer ya is cause ya pain, fear, an’ misery… an’ I came from _that_ ” 

  


Sniffling and crying now, Bendy still refused to look at Henry 

  


“I’ve always had his powers an’ memories… I-I’m sorry I lied Henry- please, don’t abandon me, I don’t wanna be alone again! Not anymore! I-I can’t handle seein’ ya leave again-” 

  


Henry hugs him tightly then, silencing the little demon with surprise. Squeezing, Henry could feel his own eyes tearing up; despite everything, the Ink demon always _had_ cared… about the studio, everyone here, and _him_ \- even if he pushed it away to make Bendy. And frankly, that’s all Henry could ever have asked for; knowing his own creations didn’t purely hate him. 

  


“I’m sorry. I didn’t know… Bendy, I’d _never_ abandon you on purpose. Even if you were the Ink demon, I’d never want to hurt you… I made you with love and care, and want to make sure that’s all you feel when we’re out of here. I’m sorry I left… I didn’t know...” 

  


Silent and still crying, Bendy stares over Henry’s shoulder into the distance before he slowly devolves into sobbing, clinging to him tightly. Closing his eyes trying not to cry himself, Henry gently rubs the little demon’s back comforting him; it reminded him a lot of something his heart ached for… 

  


Briefly, a flash of a memory takes over; he was crouched in some of the greenest grass he’d ever seen, warm sunshine and a beautiful blue sky over him. In front of him, he was hugging a young girl he felt he should be able to remember. She was crying, and clinging to him as he quietly comforted her. It seemed she’d scraped her knee. He could hear himself speak and feel his mouth moving, but it sounded distant like it was coming from somewhere else: 

  


“Don’t cry… I’m right here. I’ll always be here for you.” 

  


Still clinging to him in a hug, he could almost hear her say something, but it was lost in an echo; furrowing his brow in confusion, he asks, 

  


“What did you say?” 

  


Suddenly, he’s snapped back to reality as he opens his eyes hearing Bendy speak instead: 

  


“I love you, dad.” 

  


Blinking a couple times, Henry realizes he’d been crying; and, he realizes what Bendy had just said to him. Feeling a strong emotional ache, he can’t help but tear up more as he smiles warmly looking to Bendy when they separate the hug. 

  


“I love you too, Bendy…” 

  


Bendy rubs his eyes, sniffing before giving Henry a look 

  


“Aw geeze, I made an old man cry… I still don’t like that feelin’, y’know?...” 

  


Henry blinks before he snorts, slowly devolving into laughter; it grows harder to the point Bendy even laughs a bit before Henry sighs and looks to him, wiping his own eyes 

  


“You’re pretty good at it, you know?” 

  


Bendy smiles back before hugging Henry again, who gladly hugs him; however, he felt haunted however by the memory he’d briefly had. It was the most realistic one he’d had in ages… and it made him feel a deeper, heavier sadness than ever before. The melancholy and joy of the moment regardless though was starting to be replaced by something else… a chilling, creeping sense of dread climbing over his back. 

  


Slowly, Henry turns his head to see the source of it; the Ink demon was looming right behind him, grin twitching eerily as he hissed with seething anger. Frozen, Henry stares as the Ink demon simply stands over him- Bendy was staring up at him as well, looking scared. Then, the terrible voice Henry found he really hated (despite not wanting to) spoke from the Ink demon; echoing, layered, and ominous: 

  


_“You can’t do that.”_

  


Bendy blinks, giving him a look while bravely responding 

  


“Can’t do what, ink brain?!” 

  


The Ink demon hisses, silencing the little demon and giving Henry a start 

  


_“You can’t just have a happy ending! He should HATE you! Hate ME! Why’re you forgiving him, and not forgiving ME?! It’s all fake; it’s all lies! There’s no such thing as happiness! No such thing as forgiveness! There. Is. No. HOPE!”_

  


Henry clutches Bendy tightly, squeezing his eyes shut as he defensively curls around him; he was terrified, but the Ink demon’s words strangely made his heart hurt. The Ink demon was truly hurting in his own way… 

  


Standing slowly while holding Bendy tightly in his arms, Henry turns to face the Ink demon who looked surprised and angry. Taking a deep breath, Henry straightens out as he faces him 

  


“There _is_ hope. There is _always_ hope. All you have to do… is let go of the past. Let go of vengeance. You need to heal and move on, regardless of forgiveness; you just need to let go. Then you can find your hope.” 

  


Taken aback, the Ink demon leans away from him as if he’d just been hit- and perhaps he was in a way, by realization of something. This however didn’t stop him turning and hostile hissing loudly at Henry, making ink fly from the floor and hit the walls 

  


_“LIAR! LIES! YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR SINS, AND YOU WILL SUFFER AND DIE LIKE THE REST! FOREVER!”_

  


Startled and quite frankly horrified, Henry chooses the most sensible thing he could think of in the moment; he runs. His whole body was still recovering and hurt horribly, but with the Ink demon now chasing him with a renewed hatred and anger, he didn’t have a choice. 

  


Breathing heavily, Henry glances at Bendy in his arms who was reaching a hand over his shoulder and behind him; Henry wasn’t sure what he was doing, but he welcomed any help. Suddenly, Henry could hear the Ink demon screech in a blood chilling rage that made him want to cry. Whatever Bendy had done, it’d surely made him angrier. 

  


Risking a glance over his shoulder again, he sees that Bendy had collapsed part of the ceiling on the Ink demon by bursting a couple of ink pipes- but it didn’t last long. The ink quickly shoved the debris so hard out of the way Henry had to dodge the deadly shrapnel as it came their way. Unsure of where to go, Henry turns and busts into one of the many rooms hoping for something he could do; by sheer luck, he finds that there was a miracle station in the corner. If it would actually save him, he didn’t know; but he was willing to try anything at this point. 

  


As Henry runs towards it, Bendy frowns up at him looking unsure 

  


“Henry, I dunno if he’s gonna let ya just hide in that; he’s really, _really_ mad! More mad than I’ve ever seen him!” 

  


“Well, it’s worth a shot- I don’t have much of a choice at this point!” 

  


Quickly shoving both of them into the station, Henry slams the door shut just as the Ink demon collides with it having been right on his heels. Hissing loudly through the slat view, the Ink demon was in clear view as Henry leans away from him, cowering a bit and clutching Bendy who was doing the same. They could only watch in uncomfortable horror as the Ink demon’s hands wrap around the door, attempting to rip it off its hinges. However, the most incredible thing happened instead. 

  


Almost instantly, the miracle station glowed with a transparent golden aura that reminded Henry of his similarly golden ink before it seemed to zap the Ink demon off. Enraged, the Ink demon roars at them before slamming into the door again- but the shimmering golden force kept him at bay. Bendy stares in awe, Henry doing the same as the Ink demon paces in front of the station unable to reach them. Slowing down to a stop, the Ink demon stands in silence, twitching angrily and unmoving. Frowning, Henry slowly looks to Bendy who frowns back before the Ink demon finally breaks the quiet as he speaks; 

  


_“Fine. If I can’t get you in there… I’ll wait until you come out here. You can’t hide in there forever… you’ll have to leave eventually, Henry. Then_ _i’ll_ _get you.”_

  


That, Henry thinks, was incredibly bad news; if he couldn’t get out of the station without being immediately killed, he wouldn’t be able to lure the Ink demon to the waiting trap- or leave period. Sighing, he sits on the small bench inside the station, holding Bendy who looked quite irate 

  


“Ya _would_ do that, wouldn’t ya you sore loser! Can’t always get yer way, so ya gotta throw a tantrum!” 

  


The Ink demon simply stood in silence, ignoring the taunts and insults. Feeling quite unnerved and tired, Henry solemnly looks to Bendy 

  


“Now what’re we supposed to do?...” 

  


Bendy taps his chin in thought before shrugging 

  


“Guess we wait. When we get the signal, well.. Guess we’ll have to run fer it, huh?” 

  


Henry looks to his radio device before realizing that though this situation wasn’t the best, it would keep the Ink demon planted right here while the others did their part. Essentially, he’d accidentally created the perfect scenario; at least, for the other two parts of the group. 

  


“Well, if we’re going to be stuck here, could I ask you a few things Bendy?” 

  


“Yeah, sure, why not… I guess I already told ya the ‘big’ truth anyways.” 

  


Henry smiles at him, gently nuzzling Bendy on the head who waves a hand huffily at him 

  


“Alright, alright! Don’t get all mushy on me now.” 

  


Outside, the Ink demon hisses again making Henry shiver; he was clearly upset that Henry was being affectionate and caring towards Bendy. It made him feel a bit guilty, as he’d never had the chance to do the same for the Ink demon… and now, he may never get it. The Ink demon, however, comments on something else entirely: 

  


_“You have hardly scratched the /surface/ of your so called /truth/, liar.”_

  


Bendy looked irritated at that, glancing to Henry 

  


“He’s just bitter; don’t listen to ‘im.” 

  


Henry frowns, feeling that he was still missing something important... but he wasn’t going to press for it right now. 

  


“Right… so, how exactly were you made?” 

  


Bendy looks at him blankly for a moment before sighing 

  


“Well, like i said, Ink head out there was tired a feelin’ stuff. He didn’t want t’ feel guilty or hopeful or anythin’, so he kinda just… took it outta himself an’ accidentally made me. I’m like the good Bendy, full ‘a all the stuff that makes me like yer original Bendy! I’m funny, can feel lots of emotions, get scared, an’ feel guilty… all that stuff that yer full of. Oh, but I guess most importantly…” 

  


Bendy takes the viewing device from Henry’s belt where it had been hanging this whole time, putting it in Henry’s hand now and clicking it on. Aiming it over himself, Henry looks surprised to see the little demon had a golden aura around him like a transparent shell of light. When they had first met, there had been nothing; truly, it seemed, the little devil had changed. Bendy beams at him, able to tell he was admiring it. 

  


“...I’m full a hope! The hope you gave me when ya made me, fer all kinds of good and happy things.” 

  


Shaking his head, Henry furrows his brow in confusion 

  


“I don’t understand. When we first met, I didn’t see it before...” 

  


Bendy hums thoughtfully about that, kicking his feet a bit before responding 

  


“I guess ya brought out the best in me? Not to be full on cheesy, but ya tend ta bring out the best in folks, y’know? As fer the Ink demon out there… well, he’s all the bad stuff. He’s angry, vengeful, bitter, spiteful, sad, unwilling to change, and all the things that make him _him_ . When yer full of a lotta toxic feelin’s , ya tend to _look_ toxic… thus why he’s so ugly and i’m good lookin’!” 

  


Bendy snorts loudly at that, but the Ink demon didn’t find it so funny; he punches the door of the station that makes both Henry and Bendy flinch from the sudden noise of it, Bendy now glaring 

  


“Oh REAL mature, moron! Ya think yer more of an adult by gettin’ rid a all yer good feelin’s, but you’re just an angry brat!” 

  


The Ink demon puts his face close to the door again, blocking the view outside the station 

  


_“Bold talk from the cry baby who gets scared so easily. Tell me, do you enjoy running and crying to dad_ _everytime_ _you don’t get what /you/ want?”_

  


Bendy sputters at that, and Henry facepalms slowly wishing they would stop insulting and fighting one another. Sighing heavily, Henry takes hold of Bendy who blinks and goes quiet as he’s moved into his lap now, hugging him. Closing his eyes, Henry muses out loud as the little demon looks up at him curiously; 

  


“I don’t think either of you are mature, really… but that’s because of who you’re supposed to be. It’s funny… it’s like you’re two versions, meant to be echos of us…” 

  


Bendy was likely giving him a questioning look that Henry didn’t have to open his eyes to know he was making as the demon questions him; 

  


“What? Whaddya mean ‘us’?” 

  


Henry slowly opens his eyes, staring up at the ceiling of the miracle station as his expression becomes solemn 

  


“Your creators.” 

  


Staring, both Bendy and the Ink demon seem surprised into silence now; Henry found it kind of cute really, the way they both interacted with him. Well, minus the Ink demon’s anger that is. Taking a deep breath, Henry sits up a bit, looking out the slat right at the Ink demon who was staring back at him before turning his attention to Bendy sitting in his lap 

  


“What I mean, is you remind me so much of myself… and _you_ ,” 

  


he nods to the Ink demon then 

  


“You remind me of him. Hurt, angry, bitter, unwilling to let go… reluctant to admit when you’re wrong.” 

  


Seemingly offended at that, the Ink demon slams both hands to the door of the miracle station making Henry and Bendy both flinch again and lean back as he speaks 

  


_“How DARE you compare me to my tormentor! I am no product of him… I am a product of YOU! If anything, I am the part of you that you /deny/! I’m nothing like him!”_

  


Snorting, Bendy smirks despite the fact he was glaring a bit at the Ink demon 

  


“Well… guess i’m not the only one who’s tellin’ lies.” 

  


Frustrated, the Ink demon tries once more to break into the station, but rebounds off of the golden aura around it uselessly. Growling angrily, he slowly looks to Henry then 

  


_“You will never leave this place… you will never escape. I’ll be sure to keep you trapped in this eternal hell as long as I have to be in it too.”_

  


Henry frowns, feeling a bit nervous at that; he wasn’t exactly helping their cause by making the Ink demon less and less willing to perhaps by a slim chance try and help them. He wonders if their plan would work, and if they really would find a way out… but all he can do now, is hope. 

  



	15. No Time For Rewind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sammy, Norman, Barley, and Boris head out on their mission to retrieve the ink jar for their plan. However, a few obstacles create delays that reveal disturbing information as well as whittling the time they have. Sammy has to struggle with his memories and feelings, both over his faith and Norman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: None
> 
> (One drawing in this chapter!)

* * *

Quietly following the strange fisher named Barley that was guiding them to the jar necessary for their plan, Sammy glances behind himself into the empty darkness that made him feel nervous. The projectionist had tried insisting on keeping up the rear, but his light was needed at the front for navigating. Unsurprisingly, Boris didn’t tolerate the dark very well and was almost clinging to the projectionist as they walked.

No… Norman. His name was  _ Norman _ , right? Shaking his head a bit, Sammy thinks how he needed to get into the habit of calling him that even though it felt strange. It was like he’d used the name so many times before, but the face wasn’t coming to him. Seeing the projectionist as this ‘Norman’ didn’t feel right, so it was difficult to remember at times. Sighing a bit, Sammy glances behind again, feeling like they were being watched; yet, no sign of the Ink demon had showed up for a long time.

Usually, this would be a good sign- but in these levels, the longer an area went without the Ink demon the chance of him showing up rose steadily. It felt as if any second those ominous shadows would flood the walls, and the ever vengeful lord would be on them in moments bringing down his wrath. Shivering at the thought, Sammy crosses his arms now holding them tightly and looking ahead. The projectionist’s flickering light played off the narrow hallway walls, making them seem alive.

There was so much Sammy wanted to think about, yet not think about because it made his mind feel murky; he had to focus on their mission, but his memories seemed to be prodding more and more threatening to cause him to have another episode like before. Each time something flooded to him, he physically became unable to move as he re-lived memories so vividly it always shocked him. The most recent one had been a brief flash of a dark night in the halls when he used to work here that popped up as they’d entered the passageway, but it passed quickly enough he hadn’t blanked out. The projectionist- no,  _ Norman  _ had fussed over him for it regardless, but they’d managed to move past it.

It felt as if they’d been walking for ages, but Sammy couldn’t really tell how much time had really passed; in this place, time seemed to not really exist anymore. If days and nights still turned, he wasn’t aware. 

Deep in less memory ridden thought, Sammy accidentally bumps into the projectionist’s back as he’d stopped walking. Blinking and looking up, Sammy peers over his shoulder to see why he’d stopped; then, immediately wishes he hadn’t.

Tons of glowing eyes were staring at their group blocking the pathway as tons upon tons of lost ones were clustered within the space of the hallway. Sammy wasn’t sure why they were crammed into the tight space like this, nor why in the dark. 

Norman slowly looks down to Barley who was frowning, clearly unprepared for such a scenario; Boris, however, walks forward a bit while silently waving to them in a friendly gesture. The lost ones all gave him rather bleak looks, but didn’t do anything aggressive in return; they were simply staring. Sammy furrows his brow, turning to look at Norman

“So… do you think we could just walk through them?”

The flickering light turns to him, blinding and a bit painful; his projector head tilts as he shrugs. Right... he wouldn’t know. Barley sighs, looking up at them speaking quietly

“I suppose it’s worth a shot, there isn’t a way around…”

Slowly now, the four approach the lost ones who simply watch them get closer. Having to form a single file line now to move through them, Norman takes the lead with Boris behind him, Barley behind Boris, and again, Sammy in the back. However, as Sammy attempts to follow the others, he finds himself suddenly barred by dozens of limbs blocking the path. Startled by such a sudden movement, he takes a step back getting flustered and sputtering a bit

“W-What?! Why aren’t you letting me through?! What did I do??!”

The lost ones silently stare at him, and though their expressions remained unchanged they didn’t seem to quite like him; the reason was entirely beyond him. 

The other three had stopped, looking back his way at the commotion- Sammy could tell that Norman would have rushed right over had he not been currently squished by lost ones. Barley frowns once more, shaking his head before calling over a bit louder than normal;

“I think it’s your mask. They don’t exactly like Bendy, i’m sure…”

Offended, Sammy scoffs at them

“Don’t like him?! He’s our lord, and will save us all- how can you all be so blasphemous?! Do you have nothing left to cling to but your misery?!”

Naturally, that didn’t make it better; the lost ones simply stared at him, but Sammy could feel they didn’t like what he’d said as there was a bit of tension in the air. Boris whines, clearly scared that something bad was going to happen. Frustrated, Sammy looks to the other three helplessly

“Now what? They’re not letting me through, how am I supposed to follow??”

Barley sighs heavily, seeming tired

“Take off the mask, and leave it.”

Sammy’s demeanor drops at that, his arms hanging by his sides 

“What?! Absolutely NOT! It’s important!”

“It’s a sign of your faith to someone they don’t like… just put it down and we can get it later”

“It’s not that simple!! I can’t just  _ remove _ it and leave it- I need it!”

Sammy felt a bit hysterical now, desperately not wanting to take off his mask; it was so many things he needed. It hid his horrible, terribly inky husk of nothing that was his real ‘face’, it showed his adoration and respect for their lord, and it connected him to said lord in ways they’d never understand. If he removed it, he would be severing his much needed security; it simply wouldn’t be done.

Barley looks up at Norman then, tired still

“We’re going to have to leave him… we don’t have time for this”

Norman gives an irritated screech from his speaker that makes several lost ones nervously shift and try to give him more space. Boris whines again, shaking his head; he didn’t want to leave Sammy behind either, which made the music director admittedly feel a bit touched. Barley was getting a bit frustrated however as he looks over to Sammy almost desperate

“Please just remove the mask? We can’t afford to be wasting time, the Ink demon could show up at any moment”

“I will  _ never _ -”

“Sammy.”

Surprised, Sammy started at hearing his name spoken in the static-y crackle from Norman’s speaker. Staring, he feels a whole mix of emotions he can’t really discern

“...What?”

Norman tilts his projector head forward a bit so the lens was aimed down, looking rather ominous. His message didn’t need to be spoken; he was simply asking ‘remove the mask so we can move on’. Defeated and still frustrated, Sammy sighs shakily before crossing his arms huffily

“...fine. But if I don’t get it back, there  _ will _ be hell to pay. You all hear that?!”

The lost ones don’t respond naturally, making Sammy shake his head. Slowly, he reaches for his mask feeling incredibly reluctant; he always hated taking it off.

As his fingers touch the sides of the mask, he grasps it preparing to remove it when instead he feels something… as if he was buzzing with a strange energy. Without warning, his vision was now flying through the ink, travelling through walls, zipping incredibly fast before it slows to a jarring halt elsewhere. What he could see now was a dark room, flooded with ink over the floor; the only things inside it otherwise were a desk that was shoved aside, and a ‘miracle station’ which really was a repurposed portable toilet.

What he sees inside of it, however, is what really surprises him; it was Henry, holding Bendy in his lap looking incredibly tired. Had he always looked so worn out? He was saying something, but Sammy couldn’t hear it- instead, he watches as his view rushes at the door of the station, slamming and shimmering with a strange golden aura. Inside the station, Henry and Bendy had fearfully flinched before the little demon became irritated yelling silently. Henry, on the other hand, simply sank back into looking incredibly tired. It almost made Sammy feel bad for him.

Unsure of what was happening, Sammy couldn’t really feel or hear anything he was seeing; in fact, his body felt as if it were still standing where his mind had left it, and it was incredibly disorientating. His view slowly turns to look down at what should have been his reflection in the ink on the floor for a moment, and that’s when it hits him- he was seeing through the Ink demon’s eyes. He was connected right to his own lord, and he wasn’t sure  _ why  _ until his lord speaks:

_ “I see your companions, Henry. I can tell where they are… what /are/ they up to, I wonder?” _

Feeling rather scared now, Sammy becomes fairly aware that this was definitely bad. His view moves up to the equally scared looking faces of Bendy and Henry. Out loud, the Ink demon speaks as if directly to Sammy:

_ “You’re very faithful, my ‘prophet’. Faithful, but oh so naive… you have helped me against your own interest.” _

Sammy could see Henry silently yelling, but his vision returns to himself now so fast he stumbles and collapses to the floor resulting in many confused lost ones and a screech from the projectionist. Pushing through the lost ones, Boris, and Barley, Norman quickly kneel by Sammy who was slowly sitting up and holding his head

“...He knows. He knows where we are- I-I didn’t mean to, I didn’t know...”

The lost ones all look startled then, panicking a bit; one of them actually calls out

“What do you mean?! Who knows?!”

Sammy looks to Norman, who was looking a bit nervous himself

“The Ink demon. My lord was seeing through my mask this _ whole time _ . I-I didn’t know, I didn’t mean to-”

Suddenly, all of the lost ones devolved into a chorus of wails and panic, scrambling chaotically and trampling over one another as they flee. Boris quickly snatches up Barley, trying to protect him while Norman wraps over Sammy tightly as lost ones flood past them. Shaking a bit, Sammy closes his eyes tightly before it clears as suddenly as it had started; they were all gone. The commotion having died down, Sammy becomes keenly aware of the way Norman was holding him and flusters pushing at him

“Y-you can let go of me now… I’m fine.”

Norman silently gazes at him, obviously staring at his mask Sammy realizes; it was, afterall, now a really bad thing to have. Upset but knowing what needed to be done, Sammy whips the mask off his face hesitating only a moment before forcing himself to snap it in half; the action hurt his heart, but he wasn’t going to risk his friends for the sake of worship. He was actually a bit upset that Ink demon had called him naive and threatened him… wasn’t their lord supposed to be forgiving, wanting to deliver them from suffering?

Barley walks over then, disgruntled and upset as well

“We  _ really _ need to move now, we’re out of time- If what you said is true, I don’t think Henry’ll be much more of a distraction for long”

Feeling exposed and barren, Sammy tries covering his face with a frown; Norman however gently takes his hands, moving them away. He shakes his projector head, very briefly touching Sammy’s cheek before getting back up, offering a hand to help him up. Flustered, Sammy was actually glad about his inky lack of a face for one thing- he’d be blushing furiously right now otherwise. Why was Norman so keen on being friendly to him like this?? Alice said he’d had a crush in the past, but did he really remember it?

Touching his cheek where Norman had brushed it, he uses his other hand to take a hold of the one being offered and gets pulled up swiftly. The movement was so fast he stumbles right into the projectionist, who looks at him curiously. Sammy was finding this all  _ conveniently _ cheesy. Surely, he was doing this on  _ purpose _ now. 

The gravity of their situation however quickly dashed whatever budding romcom they were apparently living in, as Barley frowns listening to his portable communication radio. Curious, Sammy walks over forgetting his embarrassment from Norman and not having his mask for the moment

“What’s wrong?”

Barley looks up to him, still frowning

“Henry says the Ink demon is getting antsy… he might leave him any second. We  _ really _ are out of time now”

Boris whines, but Sammy shakes his head clutching both hands into fists holding them before himself

“We’re going to have enough time! We can still do this- let’s get a move on, shall we? No need to be quiet if we know where the lord is waiting!”

With that, Sammy doesn’t hesitate to take the lead as he runs down the hall making the other three have to hurriedly jog after him, the projectionist giving a small shrill that he figured meant ‘Hey, wait up!’. Henry had tried so hard to help them along this far, Sammy didn’t want to be the one who ruined it with his mask and the Ink demon seeing through it. Thinking how his lord had been watching everything through his eyes gave him a small chill; how much had he seen? Regardless, he was going to make sure their plan didn’t fall apart so easily if he could help it. 

And maybe, just maybe, he could reconnect with their lord later and even potentially bargain with him… after all, as the prophet, he needed a good relationship with their divine deity anyways. Maybe he could convince him to help them… but funny enough, Sammy felt that idea was slowly losing his faith.

\- (skip forward in time)

Staring up at the impressively large glass jar labeled ‘ink’, Sammy thinks about how they most certainly could fit several people (no less the Ink demon) inside it. Barley was currently inspecting it and a couple spares to find the one with the least damage and threat of cracking under pressure, which Sammy knew his lord would be putting against it the moment they trapped him.

Norman was helpfully using his light for Barley to see meanwhile, which thankfully gave Sammy some breathing room in the corner away from him to think with Boris, who was silently watching them investigate the jars. Speaking out loud partially to himself, partially to the friendly wolf, Sammy mumbles;

“Strange… it’s all so… strange. Norman, my lord, and my own memories… what’s going  _ on _ in this realm?...”

He puts a hand on his chin pensively as he looks to Boris, who has his head tilted in curiosity at his words

“You think it’s strange, don’t you? It’s like a network of memories dictates everything… the more you know and remember, the more power you have. And yet, the more it can break you down and haunt you… but in the end, this is all one big memory, is it not? This… repeating wheel of someone’s lost dreams”

He sighs, shaking his head now, Boris frowning

“I know, i’m just rambling now… but I do wish I understood more. Where did all this ‘black magic’ come from, how did the ink machine come to be, and how does it work? What  _ are _ we? And, who am I  _ really? _ I say i’m Sammy Lawrence, but…”

Looking down slowly, he’s aware Boris was listening with deep interest

“Well, in the end… I think… we’re all just-”

“This one.”

Sammy looks up (as does Boris) to Barley and Norman who were looking back at them; Barley’s hand was on one of the ink jars. Sighing once more, Sammy nods and struggles to his feet before walking over with Boris to the large glass container. Looking at his distorted reflection, Sammy felt self conscious again, touching his face and frowning

“So, to move this thing… do you think sheer force will be enough? This is a ridiculously large glass jar, which means it’s ridiculously  _ heavy _ …”

Barley looks up at it frowning, Boris looking to Norman who simply walks up to the jar and crouching down before it. The fisher speaks as he does so;

“Well, it’s going to be difficult to move for sure... maybe I can fashion something that’ll roll it? I’d say roll the jar itself, but it wouldn’t fit horizontally through the halls and it would risk damage… maybe if I-”

Before he can continue, Norman uses rather impressive force to lift the jar partially from the floor that made Sammy really glad they hadn’t fought when they’d met. Taking the cue, Boris hurries over to the other side; if he’d help, Sammy wasn’t sure, considering how thin he was. However, his judgments are tossed away quickly as the wolf lifts with an equally impressive feat of strength, heaving the jar into the air; both of them were shaking a bit with the effort however, worrying Sammy.

“Is that going to be enough??”

Barley gives him a look that makes the music director slump before moving between the other two an so the weight would be lifted by all three equally. Taking hold of the bottom, Sammy grunts with strain as he helps ease the burden of the jar; he thinks, howeve,r that he wasn’t made for this being a musician and not a heavy lifter!

“R-right… so- back the way we came?”

Barley clicks on a flashlight then, turning it down the hall

“Exactly. I’ll lead the way so you three can focus on holding that up”

Already not enjoying the task, Sammy thinks how this had to be payback for some kind of karma he probably deserved. Whatever it was, he didn’t regret it though; regret was for those who didn’t stand behind their actions, and his actions were always dignified. Even if the others thought worshipping the Ink demon said otherwise.

\- (second time skip)

Having made decent progress down the hall, Sammy was shaking from the effort feeling a terrible burning ache in what he didn’t realize were still his muscles and not just blobby ink. His back was also hurting rather badly, which meant he’d been lifting incorrectly from something he vaguely remembered someone said… ‘Lift with your legs, not your back!’. Whoever it was that had said it seemed rather grouchy, and definitely over worked like the rest of them; but Sammy couldn’t remember where he’d heard it, or place a face or name to it.

“H-how much further do we have to go? I’m not- sure- I can hold this much longer!”

Boris whines a little, looking like he was getting tired too and Norman simply kept quiet, but Sammy could hear his equipment jangling more than usual as he was shaking from strain. Barley looks around seeming to be getting their bearings before calling behind himself

“We’re at least more than halfway back, but we’re not there yet.”

Groaning, Sammy wished he could get a break; manual labor was not on his resume at any point in time, and he certainly never planned to be doing it himself! This is what the bigger, stronger, beefier men were for! Hmm… his thoughts had trailed off a bit there. Oops. Either way, the music director was feeling grouchier by the moment

“Halfway- is not- good enough! I’m going to collapse!”

Barley shrugs, continuing to walk

“You complain a lot, but I think you can handle more than you let on.”

Pouting at that, Sammy continues struggling with the other two when the words sink in; something about it seemed… familiar. 

Without warning, Sammy suddenly stumbles letting go of the jar as he’s overtaken by another memory surge; he’d been fighting them away so much that one had finally gotten the upperhand. 

He was now standing in front of a rather disorganized desk covered in paperwork, reels, animation frames, and little bendy paraphernalia that framed an equally little name placard that read ‘Joey Drew’. He was feeling quite irate, arms crossed, puffing angrily at the man who was giving him a look from behind said desk.

“C’mon, Sammy! You’re always complaining, but I  _ know _ you; you’re talented, and incredibly good at what you do! Sure, you’re a hard worker, but I know you can handle more than you’ve been letting on!”

Sammy couldn’t control what he was saying as it came from him, realizing it had already been said and done; he was simply reliving it.

“With all due respect,  _ sir _ , I’m well aware of my talents and capabilities; but you’re asking too much! The band isn’t readily assembled with the drop of a pen, and I can only write so fast! I need more time!”

Joey leans forward on the desk, pushing aside some papers that suspiciously seemed to say ‘overdue’ on them…

“Listen, Sammy… I know you’re doing what you can, but deadlines are deadlines. Just push a  _ little _ more these next couple of weeks, and we’ll be back on track in no time; no more overtime, or rushing!”

Mulling this in his head, he still felt unconvinced; but arguing with the boss clearly wasn’t getting him far.

“If it gets us where we need to be, I  _ suppose _ I can  _ try _ ... but you need to get that maintenance crew double time on the pipes by my office! And this better not become normal for me, or i’m going to have to finally agree with  _ Wally _ of all people about something...”

Joey smiles at that, leaning back now in his chair that creaks

“Deal; you get those songs done in the next few days, i’ll make sure the fellas in Gent have your floor fixed and cleaned up good as new in no time! How’s that sound?”

Sammy sighs, giving in unfortunately

“I suppose it’ll have to do... I would appreciate having my space back.”

“It’s settled then. No time to waste, let’s keep this machine running!”

Sammy found the choice in words poor taste as he’d much rather take a wrench to that god awful ink machine, but he didn’t want to start a fight with the boss- so he bit his tongue instead. Leaving the office promptly, he mutters curses under his breath storming back to his department when along the way he accidentally slams right into someone having been preoccupied in his anger. Pinwheeling his arms, he falls roughly to the floor with a grunt hearing whoever he’d run into collapse and drop their own things with a loud clatter. Frowning, he sits up quickly

“I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to- I wasn’t looking-... Norman? What’re you doing heading to Joey’s office?”

Before him, the disgruntled and tired looking projectionist was recollecting a number of reels and a thankfully undamaged projector under his arm. He was very tall, with a firm but not overly muscular build; his skin was a lighter medium brown than his darker reddish brown hair, his even browner eyes full of exhaustion. And as always, he had a random ink smudge on his poorly shaven 5 o'clock shadowed face and a toothpick in his mouth; why the toothpick, Sammy never understood, but his some form of southern accent may have been a hint. Sighing, the projectionist grumbled;

“Drew’s been all over my case tryin’a get me to do overtime, work harder, an’ keep things rollin’ twice as fast. I can’t keep up with these demands when the damn equipment he gives me keeps breakin’ on me! I’m bringin’ him some more reels he asked for, but I’m more than damn well ready to ask for new projectors, and if need be,  _ fight _ for ‘em.”

Sammy blinks at that, sighing himself in return

“He’s been working everyone to the brink of bursting like these damned pipes… it’s at least nice running into you, even if it was literally…”

Norman smiles at that, giving Sammy an expression that made his heart twist in knots; damn, was he ever good at making the usually stoic music director fluster. Distracted by the look, Sammy almost didn’t catch what Norman had said next;

“Likewise. You’re usually all broody, hunched over your songs or yellin’ your head off at some poor musicians tryin’a catch a break… you really should consider goin’ easier on ‘em”

Sammy huffs, smirking a bit despite it

“Go easy on them? Never! You can bet I won’t go easy on  _ you, _ either…”

The projectionist gets a rather smug look at that, which makes Sammy a bit nervous

“I wouldn’t want it any other way…”

Suddenly overtaken with dizziness, Sammy feels himself sway a little; Norman seemed concerned, but his vision was quickly being engulfed by inky darkness. As if he were falling in a dream, Sammy suddenly snaps back to reality (if it could be called that) with a hard flinch as he finds himself sitting on the floor, propped against one if the dingy ink stained walls of the studio. Holding his head, he groans a little before realizing Norman was crouching next to him, his flickering light surprisingly dimmed so as not to hurt his eyes. On his other side, Boris looked rather worried while Barley was frantically going on about needing to move.

Rubbing his head a bit, Sammy looks to Norman who tilts his lens down a bit at him before Barley almost bustles right into his face

“What happened?? Why did you faint like that? Will it happen again?? We really  _ really _ can’t stay any longer!”

Feeling a little overwhelmed at the barrage of questions, Sammy flaps a hand at the fisher until he goes silent

“Calm down- It was a memory. Sometimes they crop up without warning and do that... I should be good for a while though.”

Sighing, the fisher backs up a bit

“Can we please get moving then? Henry said the Ink demon has been leaving him now and again, I think he’s looking for us”

Frowning himself, Sammy struggles to get up feeling his arms burn with soreness, and his back as well.

“Oof.. well, then I suppose it’s time to get back to this…  _ awful _ task.”

Norman gets up as well, giving him a small concerned sound while Boris whines a little at him

“I’m fine! Like I said, it was just a memory; nothing more.”

Looking at Norman, however, Sammy felt a bit solemn. Whatever that bit of memory with him had been, it had unlocked some strange feeling he couldn’t quite place; something had happened between them before, it seemed. Had it been romantic? A rivalry? Were they good friends? He couldn’t remember, but seeing what Norman was now compared to that memory… it made him feel rather sad. He didn’t deserve this. None of them did.

As they prepared to lift the jar again, Sammy glances to Norman who brightens his light back up a bit before looking back curiously. Sammy frowns, looking down and away from him

“I’m… sorry about this. All of this. You didn’t deserve it… and you don’t deserve to be forgotten.”

Norman silently stares at him, seemingly wanting to say something but Barley pipes up doing a small anxious dance that causes his head to come loose from its stand and swing now

“Pleaaaaaase can we move now? I really don’t want the Ink demon to find us!”

Sammy puffs a bit, but silently obliges; they all take hold of the jar, lifting it up once more with a struggle. If the Ink demon did show up, he wonders if they could simply topple it onto his head and trap him like a sad bug in a cup- but he’d likely just sink through the floor in that case. Still, the idea made him feel a  _ bit _ safer at the moment... for now.


	16. Only If We Live Another Day...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having made it back with the Ink jar, Sammy and the others set up their trap for the Ink demon. While in wait however, Sammy has to come forward to Norman about his feelings... something has to be said before there isn't another chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none (it's just very sappy)
> 
> (Drawings this update: just one in chapter 16; none in 17)

* * *

Having miraculously made it back with the massive ink jar in tact (as well as Sammy’s own pride not having to drop it again somehow), the group was now running around like panicked mice in a maze as they set up their trap in Norman’s corridors. Alice was directing her pet butcher gang around the place to do her bidding (Boris included for some reason) while Norman was busy dragging over materials he’d stowed away a while ago. He and Alice seemed to be trying to avoid one another, but they kept inevitably crossing one another’s paths regardless only exchanging hostile looks but thankfully nothing more. In Sammy’s opinion, he couldn’t tell who was scarier; Alice was getting more melty than she normally was having gone so long without her surgical ‘fixes’, yet Norman still had a towering and menacing presence with intimidating looks and mannerisms.

Their feud aside, Barley was the true director of everything here (despite Alice bossing him around); he was the master behind the whole strange trap and its blueprints. Sammy opted to do anything easier for the set up, quite done with heavy lifting after that jar; at the moment he was rigging a few pulleys with ropes tediously. Sighing, he wondered how Henry and his two lords were doing... somehow, Sammy actually felt a tad concerned for the old artist more than anything. After all, Henry was alone and currently in a stalemate face-off with the very angry Ink demon… it was bound to end poorly at any given moment.

Tsking as a rope slides from his grasp swinging away, Sammy reaches for it only for his hand to bump into someone else’s; Norman had grabbed it for him and was offering it back to him now. Silently looking at him for a moment, Sammy takes it wishing he had his mask again 

“Oh.. thank you. You know, you don’t have to always be hovering around me… it’s a bit… odd.”

The projectionist seemed to take that a bit roughly as he gets embarrassed, looking away now and rubbing the back of his projector head. Sammy can’t help but feel amused at that, sighing

“It’s fine… I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I know you just want to help me. It’s sweet- really. Thank you.”

Norman turns to look at him again, staring for a moment before he nods a little. Sammy wished he could tell what the guy was thinking half the time. Instead of explaining anything though, the projectionist saunters off through the ink in a fashion that makes Sammy remember the southern cowboy-esque man he used to know… no! Now was certainly  _ not _ the right time for any more memory flashes; he had to refrain from thinking about it.

Continuing his part of the set up, Sammy was helping Barley hook up a system attached to the ceiling meant to hold up and release the jar that was currently precariously standing on stacked crates. Looping ropes, hammering hooks, and such was making his already exhausted arms ache even more from the angle. 

Below, a sharp whistle causes him to flinch and nearly fall from the crates making him grumpily glance down to the smiling piper named Charley who was looking up at Barley.

“Niiiice work! This is lookin’ like a real trap now! Man, Barles, is there anything ya can’t do?”

The fisher blinks and becomes rather bashful from the comment, which makes Sammy raise an eyebrow. Just how much of this place was going to be a cliche story? Barley, howeve,r doesn’t respond to the piper who was still smiling up at him. Realizing he wasn’t getting a response, Charley speaks again;

“Aww, don’t gotta get embarrassed! It was a genuine compliment!”

Huffing a little, Barley quietly mumbles almost inaudibly

“That’s what makes it embarrassing…”

Sammy grins a bit at that, thinking that maybe Alice’s little crew weren’t so bad after all; he could potentially maybe even call them cute… of course, until the spider one reels down like an actual spider with a grappling hook. Naturally Sammy throws himself backwards away from him while flailing, unfortunately falling right towards the ink

“oH NO-”

Grunting hard, Sammy realizes that his suspenders had been grabbed by said spider who pulls him back up with a struggled effort. Once situated back on the crates, Sammy gives the striker a dirty look 

“Do you mind not _ sneaking up on people? _ Thanks.”

Rolling his eye, the striker gives him a look back

“Maybe you should be less scared all the time”

Puffing, Sammy was about to argue when Barley speaks up interrupting just in time

“It’s ready. We need the jar”

Edgar nods in response, reeling all the way down to the ink and unhooking his grapple before heading towards Alice who was watching nearby. Sammy slowly notices that the striker had something tucked under his arm… it looked like a syringe full of ink. Leaning in a bit, he listens in on the exchange

“Here you are, my lady; fresh and extra thick to help you”

Taking the syringe, she seemed a bit relieved

“Thank you, Edgar… this should be enough to tie me over for a bit longer.”

The striker bowed before watching as Alice starts injecting herself disturbingly with the ink; Sammy could feel his own gut twist, forcing him to look away. He wasn’t sure what the thick ink came from, but he didn’t really want to know- all he could hope was it would make Alice less irritable for the time being as it made it difficult to work with her.

Sammy’s attention was drawn away from the little interaction however as Boris and Norman were struggling to bring over the jar without his help, Barley reeling himself down with a harness to them. Leaning over his stack of crates, Sammy questions

“Should I get down now? I don’t like balancing on these, you know”

Barley shakes his head, not looking at him when responding as he was busy working with Boris and Norman to get the complicated straps and ropes around the jar

“You’re gonna have to help steady this into place… stay up there for now; you can come down soon, it’s almost done.”

Sighing, Sammy crosses his arms watching them before getting a curious glance from Norman who looks away quickly, perhaps being a bit more shy after the earlier comment. He thinks how it’s a bit silly that such a big scary entity such as the projectionist could get so easily flustered by… well, Sammy wasn’t sure  _ what _ to call himself. A human-shaped ink blob, he supposes.

With a loud click, Barley gives them a thumbs up and both Boris and Norman slowly release their grip to back away, the jar making the whole set up creak with its weight; thankfully though, it was holding. Looking relieved, Barley reels himself back up to the ceiling near Sammy before holding up a part of the ropes.

“I’m gonna pull on three, and this should come up without a problem. If it’s too fast or swings, I need you to use your arms to steady it, alright?”

Sammy nods to him, watching and wondering how all of these ropes and pieces could make that incredibly heavy jar lift with an easy tug of some string... the engineering was impressive, to say the least.

“Alright… one… two… three!”

From below, everyone had gathered to watch nervously but eagerly as the jar hoists rather suddenly up into position like intended- but like Barley predicted, it was a bit too quick for the weight of it and it began to swing. Throwing his arms out to stop it, Sammy grunts as it collides a bit roughly with him but thankfully stops without knocking everything over including him. With another small tug from the fisher, the jar clanks into place and stays put. Smiling, Barley wraps the rope he’d been pulling on some kind of a hook and nods to Sammy

“All set. Now we’re ready to catch an Ink demon.”

Sammy stares at the jar thinking about it; really, what they were doing? Henry was going to make the Ink demon angry, guide him right into this hall, then they were going to drop a giant jar to catch him. It was a bit comical if one really thought about it. What  _ wasn’t _ so comical, however, was the idea that Ink demon might be able to escape… if he  _ did _ manage to get out or they missed, the amount of ink in the area was more than enough for his terrible wrath to destroy all of them several times over. 

From below, the curious piper questions;

“So, what about a lid, huh? If he’s gonna stay in that thing we need to seal it, right?”

The fisher reels back down again, Sammy looking after him thinking how he didn’t exactly have his own easy way down. Barley looks to Charley answering him

“The lid is hidden under the ink right  _ here _ ”

The fisher taps his foot and a quiet muffled metal clank gives away its location

“If the Ink demon could see it, he’d know what was waiting for him… so I figured the ink would be a good cover.”

Huffing to himself, Sammy was about to complain about being stuck when Norman approaches him, holding out his arms as an offer. Sammy, however, felt a bit embarrassed by it

“I-I’m certain I can get down on my own, but thank you for the gesture-”

Alice cuts in then, rolling her eyes

“Just let him help you down. Your pride isn’t worth face planting into the ink and dissolving over something easily prevented and stupid.”

Puffing again, Sammy gives a curt “Fine!” before looking back to Norman who still had his arms extended. Nervously, he prepares to practically throw himself to the projectionist’s mercy; if Norman failed to hold him up or catch him, he’d end up in the ink anyways.

With a small hop, Sammy felt a rush of fear as he fell before a firm grasp caught and lifted him up, making the music director flinch a little. Staring down at Norman who seemed to be holding him up so effortlessly made him feel flushed- especially with everyone staring. Despite the attention, Norman didn’t seem to be in any rush as he gently lowers Sammy down to the floor making sure not to drop him.

As soon as his feet touch down, Sammy takes a step back crossing his arms while refusing to look up at Norman who he knew was looking back at him.

“Thanks… I, uh.. Thanks.”

Norman surprises him then by giving a small amused crackly sound from his speaker making Sammy fluster and puff again

“It’s not funny! I’m not that light, you’re just freakishly strong for some reason!”

Norman makes another sound of amusement he could only assume was equivalent to laughter, the piper now laughing at him too before chiming in

“Sounds like you’re pretty embarrassed! What for, huh? Feelin’ weak?”

“I do not feel _weak._ Can we _please_ focus on the matter at hand, and not me? Thanks!”

Even Alice chuckles at him, shaking her head

“Barley is already contacting Henry, we’re just enjoying your embarrassment is all. You always get so flustered over Norman...”

Feeling like his face was burning, Sammy turns his back on them briskly walking away to hide around the corner and escape further embarrassment

“Whatever; i’m going to be over  _ here _ if you need me”

“You can’t always run off and hide when your pride is hurt, Sammy~”

“I can, and I  _ will! _ ”

It’s true, his pride was a bit bruised; but mostly because this was just one instant of constant teasing from the others, and not really Norman catching him. In fact, part of him kept nagging that he didn’t want to be put down at all which was only making him feel more embarrassed. He wished that the others would just leave it alone and let him try to handle and figure out his feelings without trying to turn it into their comedy.

Deep in thought, Sammy didn’t notice somehow that Norman had come around the corner after him and was silently standing there watching. Pacing a bit, Sammy turns around and walks right into him on accident before taking a step back and staring up at him, flustered all over again.

“I- what do you want?? Can’t you tell I don’t want to be bothered right now?”

As if numb to his words, Norman stayed put and didn’t respond. Sighing heavily, Sammy gives him a tired gesture of desperation

“Look; for the moment, I’d just like to be left alone. You understand that, right?”

Norman seemed unsure, like he was about to turn and leave when Alice’s voice spoke up around the corner teasing him  _ yet again _

“Oh Sammy, you know you can’t be left alone… at least not without your boyfriend~”

Sammy bristles a bit at that, feeling frustrated; frustrated over the embarrassment, over the constant weird feeling between him and Norman, over barely remembering  _ anything _ about anyone, and being picked on for it. It was starting to really grind his nerves to a fray; just how much awkwardness and fleeting memory chases did he have to go through before something would change? Before he could begin to remotely sort through his anxious thoughts and feelings?

Norman hovering over him certainly wasn’t helping, and as the projectionist started to get closer to him with taunting and goading from the others, Sammy felt he’d finally had enough. Snapping loudly in an almost shrill tone, he cries out partially from frustration with himself to frustration over Norman;

“WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?! CAN’T YOU SEE I DON’T EVEN REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE?!” 

Norman paused to stare at him, so Sammy Inhales deeply, trying to control his voice a bit before continuing

“ _ Whatever _ you’re thinking, it’s just... not  _ there _ anymore! It isn’t here now, it won’t be there later- it won’t be there ever  _ again _ ! It’s  _ GONE _ ! My memories are gone, and so are  _ you! _ Just, please- leave me  _ ALONE! _ ”

Norman, despite the harsh words and tone, didn’t leave; in fact, he starts walking closer making Sammy a bit nervous as he doesn’t  _ stop _ getting closer. Had he gone too far? Was Norman mad, and about to make him regret his words? Fearfully, Sammy tries stepping back away from him stuttering 

“I-I didn’t mean to- I-I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me I just-“

Suddenly, Sammy gasps as he’s pulled into a hug without warning and held tightly. The gesture caught him off guard so badly that any emotions or thoughts beforehand immediately dissipated. Feeling his heart beating a mile a minute, he was almost certain he was going to faint when Norman gently squeezes him. Then, everything around him seemed to melt away… literally.

He was in a hallway, and it was dark meaning it was either night time or underground; he wasn’t sure which. Only the dim flickering light of an almost burnt out ceiling lamp illuminated the area, making it seem ominous. 

Sammy could see paperwork strewn on the floor that he was somehow aware he’d just dropped as he was currently being embraced tightly by the projectionist, who was squeezing him. He wasn’t made of ink with a projector for a head however; he was the handsome man he used to be, and Sammy felt incredibly flushed by the gesture. Slowly, he wrapped his own arms around Norman in return. Briefly glancing at a nearby office window, he notes that it had been shuttered as the studio was closed at this hour- also, his face was incredibly red.

Taking a nervous breath, Sammy closes his eyes and tries to regain himself; he leans his face forward into the shoulder of the projectionist who was so warm… his embrace was comfortable too. He didn’t want to let go. That’s when he hears the muffled words spoken against his own shoulder:

“I love you.”

Feeling as if everything paused in that moment, Sammy could hear the buzzing of the flickering light; they were alone, nobody watching, just the two of them… yet it felt like they were on a stage where everyone could see. Somehow though, he was alright with it. Happy, even. 

Slowly, Sammy could feel the memory slipping away but the situation was the same as he was standing alone, holding tightly onto Norman who hadn’t moved or let go the whole time. Surprisingly, Sammy felt something dripping from his face; was he crying?? Could he even do that anymore?

Sniffing, Sammy sighs shakily before gently squeezing the projectionist back a bit. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed but he was sure of one thing; he vaguely knew what Norman was trying to tell him. He was trying to remind him of what used to be… but something was still nagging Sammy.

Bracing himself, Sammy tries to work up his own courage now;

“I… I don’t fully understand. What you’ve been meaning to tell me, but... I have an idea. You liked me… right? and I think I…”

Sighing again, he shakes his head briefly pressing his face to Norman’s shoulder once more finding it difficult, and the moment incredibly out of place considering. Was now really the time? Then again… would there ever  _ be _ a time? He supposes this might as well happen now rather than never.

“...I think I liked you too. I… is that why you’re being so nice to me? Following me around, and trying to help all the time? You want to remind me so I remember?”

Quietly, Sammy receives a rather melancholy drone from the projectionist who gives him another gentle squeeze; It seemed his assumption was correct. Closing his eyes now, Sammy quietly asks now;

“Even if i’m not who I used to be, and I can’t remember… you’re always trying. You aren’t going to give up on me, are you? Even if I keep failing to even recall your name sometimes?”

He can feel Norman physically shake his head no at that, and it made him feel a bit emotional; enough so that his face was dripping again to where he can visibly see ink droplets coming off of it. 

After all this time, he had forgotten everyone and everything, including someone he’d really cared about... and now he had to see it all reduced to this, trying everything he could just to reignite some  _ possible  _ memory. It made his heart ache in several ways, but he was glad above all else to be at least feeling  _ something _ .

“Norman… i’m sorry… I…”

Breathing in deeply, Sammy tries to hold back so he doesn’t end up pouring his emotions out at such an inopportune time

“I’m trying to remember. I promise. It’s hard, and I don’t think i’ll ever  _ fully _ remember- even if I want to. I want to remember  _ you.  _ But I  _ can’t _ ; it’s just.. It’s not the same. I-I don’t think there’s anything  _ there… _ at least, not anymore. Please understand that...”

At that, the projectionist moves away from him to hold Sammy firmly by his shoulders, gazing right into his eyes. Blinking furiously, Sammy tries to keep himself steady under the beam of light that was a bit overwhelming. Slowly then, Norman wipes his eyes before turning to one of the walls starting to write on it. Flustered and quiet now, Sammy tilts his head trying to see around Norman as he wrote.

Taking a step back, Norman looks to him waiting for a response as Sammy reads the scrawled words that were still dripping...

‘If I don’t get to tell you later Sammy, I still lo-’

Staring, Sammy feels truly overwhelmed having stopped reading before the last line; he wasn’t sure he could bring himself to. 

“N-No, you can’t... You can’t  _ possibly _ feel that! We hardly  _ know _ each other anymore- and i’m not… you can’t…”

He realizes, however, as Norman stares him down that there  _ was _ a possibility at least that the projectionist had something left. Also, that there was a possibility that this could be it; that there wouldn’t be a better chance to say it later when it counted more, because the Ink demon could tear them all apart. Even though he was their savior, he wasn’t always merciful; especially with the blasphemy they’d be committing with this. 

There was a good chance this would be the last Sammy could ever speak with Norman if something went wrong, and the thought frightened him.

“W-We’re going to be fine! This isn’t the end, and there’ll be more time to talk. I’m sure of it!”

Norman looked unconvinced, tilting his head at Sammy who sighs and slowly crosses his arms moving towards him.

“I mean… maybe there’s a  _ chance _ something could go wrong, but… well, it’s better to believe otherwise, right? I just… don’t want this to be where it ends. I don’t want to rush into something i’m not  _ ready _ for… you understand, don’t you?”

Norman nods at him, gently touching his shoulder now; Sammy looks up at him frowning, but glad at the gesture

“I can’t say things will be the same, or that I can see  _ you  _ the same; that i’ll ever find something… but.. Well, with some time, I think we could at least  _ make  _ something. If there was something before, maybe there can be again.. But it won’t be the same. I don’t think it ever could be...”

Norman nods again, meaning he understood. Sammy was grateful for that.

“Just so long as you don’t try to act like things are exactly what they were- just keep that in mind. But I’ll admit I… well, it’d be nice to start over; get to know each other again. What do you think?...”

Norman makes a soft almost cooing sound in response, leaning his projector head forward until it gently bumps Sammy on the forehead making the music director smile

“Hmph.. you’re sweet and horribly cheesy, you know that?.. I’ll take that as an agreement.”

Norman simply makes another pleased sound at him which makes Sammy smile more. 

However, the moment dissolves unfortunately quick as he hears a bunch of not so masked sniffling from behind the wooden slats of the wall they were standing next to. Ah, yes, the walls in these hallways weren’t exactly  _ real _ walls, were they? Sighing and dropping his arms, Sammy turns to the wooden slats seeing the butcher gang poorly hiding behind them. 

“Alright you nosy pricks, shoo! Leave us alone!”

None of them left however, and instead, Charley speaks up

“Th-th-that’s so SAAAAD! Ya loved each other and can’t even remember?! And now you’re gonna start over?! WAAAAAH-”

Edgar slaps a hand over the Piper’s mouth, speaking himself now through his own poorly managed tears

“Truly s-such a beautiful display of love… what romantic fervor! So poetic and painful, but wonderful! I hope I can find love so charming and fulfilling myself...”

The typically upstanding striker devolves into his own blithering with the piper then while the fisher Barley wipes his eyes, seeming rather moved by it as well; not surprising for such a quiet guy. Sammy, however, was finding their reactions rather embarrassing and uncomfortable- not to mention completely unwarranted. Looking to Norman, his face must’ve been reflective of his feelings as the projectionist makes a sound not unlike a snort of laughter.

“This isn’t  _ funny _ . It’s  _ embarrassing _ .”

Behind the butcher gang then, he hears Alice’s voice which makes Sammy stiffen

“Aww, embarrassed  _ again _ Sammy? Maybe if you stopped  _ flirting _ in openly public areas, you could  _ avoid _ that...”

Bristling, he turns to yell at the wall

“IT’S NOT PUBLIC AND OPEN, YOU’RE ALL JUST EAVESDROPPING!!”

Norman gently nudges him a bit, making Sammy deflate with a sigh before crossing his arms once more.

“Well, it’s  _ true _ .”

It was a bit funny he had to admit, and he was glad to have at least sorted on thing; he had established with Norman that at the very least their old relationship didn’t exist anymore, and it wasn’t going to simply return either. He wanted to take time to try and rebuild their friendship first rather than diving into something he both couldn’t remember nor was ready for.

He felt calmer… the whole situation did, funny enough even though they’d just set up a big trap moments go. However, the mood suddenly changes as everything grew oddly silent due to a quiet radio crackling voice... 

then, Barley delivers the chilling reality of the situation.

“Henry’s on the move. He’s coming with the Ink demon... It’s time.”

It was time to see if their plan would succeed or fail, and if they’d live to see another ink tainted day.


	17. Nightmare Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally making their move, Henry and Bendy need to lure the Ink demon to the abyss on level 14; but will they be able to reach their friends in time? Making quick wit decisions, Henry believes he's found a way, but the clock and fate are not on their side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mild violence and injury
> 
> (sorry for the short chapters this update! their length is pretty randomized, but the next chapters will be MUCH longer; for now, enjoy! I'm aiming to post at least 2 chapters every weekend from this point if college allows me!)

* * *

Breathing heavily, Henry could feel Bendy clutching roughly to his back as he ran; he wished there was a better way to move, because currently he wasn’t going fast enough. From behind, a terrible howl of unholy anger made the walls and ink shake as the Ink demon was clawing his way quite literally across the halls.

Because of his damaged leg, the otherworldly demon was on all fours (threes really as he avoided his bad leg) and moving faster than ever. Frankly, Henry had never been so scared in his entire life until this moment- and more surprisingly somehow, Bendy seemed to be taking it rather well- at least in comparison.

“QUICK QUICK, LEFT!”

Henry slides horribly in the ink almost losing balance as he throws himself to the left, the Ink demon sliding past them trying to regain his pace as well. Heaving, Henry wildly shoves himself ricocheting off the walls like a terrified pinball before finding his balance again. Shouting back, Henry was panicking;

“CAN’T YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS?! I CAN’T RUN FOREVER, OR FAST ENOUGH FOR THAT MATTER!”

Teeth chattering in fear behind him, Bendy was looking around wildly with his arms practically tied around Henry’s neck choking him a bit as the demon looked for something

“I-I DON’T KNOW! JUST KEEP RUNNIN’ UNTIL I THINK OF SOMETHIN’!”

Henry did  _ not _ like that plan, but he didn’t have much of a choice. Having finally gotten back to the hall, the Ink demon was bearing down on them again hissing so loud it sounded as if everything around them were melting.

“RIGHT! TURN RIGHT- WAIT NONONO-“

It was too late however, as Henry had already vaulted in that direction. Unfortunately, what he hadn’t vaulted was a thick and uninviting pool of ink that the room had been flooded with. Gasping and flailing to keep them above it, Henry cries out 

“BENDY!!”

“I’M SORRY I’M SORRY!! HOLD ON!”

Blocking the doorway they’d come in from, the Ink demon had slid to a halt and was smiling menacingly with glee at Henry’s situation.

_ “Well well, it seems I have a little fish in my ink well…” _

While Henry struggles and gasps for air, Bendy snorts before yelling back

“Not even in yer  _ crooked nightmares _ , STINK demon!”

About to lunge for them with an angry yell, the Ink demon flings from the doorway…

…only to miss and fall into the pool himself as Bendy had lifted them  _ up _ with the ink. Heaving for air, Henry looks at Bendy over his shoulder wildly

“COULDN’T YOU HAVE DONE THAT SOONER?!”

Bendy gives him a sheepish smile

“I’m sorry! I forgot!”

Henry was about to argue when the ink below them starts furiously bubbling, making Bendy’s eyes shrink comically

“Wuh-oh… we should go!”

With that, Henry yells as the ink holding him and Bendy up surges forward, carrying them out of the room like a flood. Wobbling, Henry flails and pinwheels his arms as he’s suddenly standing on a wave of ink as if he were surfing. Looking to Bendy again, he receives a pleased smile

“How’s this fer travelin’?”

Henry lets himself smile for a moment, but it quickly dissipates as he hears the Ink demon following suit behind them; he was already catching up again, having taken a similar idea as he too was riding his own wave of ink.

“At this rate, we might not even make it down  _ one _ floor no less  _ several _ !”

Bendy frowns at that, looking around trying to come up with something else; Henry, however, was quicker this time as he grabs one of the protruding pipes on the walls flinging their surf down another hall. Bendy blinks, and tries to lean over his shoulder to look at him

“So what’s the plan now, huh?? Ya got some kinda idea in that head of yours??”

Henry grimaces, not looking too excited

“Yeah; sort of. I was thinking about taking the elevator”

Bendy gawks at him with a well placed duck quack sound effect before shaking Henry a bit by his neck making him cough

“ARE YA NUTS?! WE’LL BE CAGED IN WITH HIM!”

Henry tugs on Bendy’s arms to loosen his grip a little before speaking again

“Partially the idea- you’ll just have to trust me!”

Looking behind them, Henry could see that the Ink demon was gaining on them once more bit by bit; his power must’ve been stronger over the ink, which made sense considering. They needed just a little more distance to make the plan work in time, but the ‘how’ was failing him. Mind racing, Henry tries to think of  _ anything _ that could slow down the Ink demon… that’s when another ambitious idea hits him

“Bendy, do you think you could get me a door from a miracle station?”

The little demon gives him a look of confusion before holding out an arm making a yanking motion, a loud wooden crack sounding from somewhere before said door comes flying over carried by an inky hand

“Ya mean like this?? What for?”

Henry was glad he brought it over before questioning as he takes hold of it, turning them around and raising it just barely in time; the Ink demon’s claws glance off of it causing a golden glimmer to radiate around them. Bewildered but pleasantly surprised, Henry gives a single laugh of shocked relief as Bendy stares at the reeling Ink demon, Henry exclaiming;

“It worked! I can’t believe it! I cheated the system!”

Looking ahead of them to make sure they don’t hit a wall, Bendy calls over his shoulder

“WHAT in  _ sweet _ inky HELL did ya do?!”

Raising the door like a shield, Henry keeps it firmly planted between them and the Ink demon who was angrily unable to squeeze past the sides of it thanks to the narrow hall

“By being behind the door,  _ technically _ we’re inside the station- sort of. As long as we’re behind the door, we may as well be in one, right?? I wasn’t sure it’d work without the rest of the station, but i’m  _ really _ glad it did!”

Cackling at that with his own glad relief, Bendy beams

“Henry, yer a real mad genius! Ol’ stink brain has gotta be losin’ his mind right now!”

However, with each impact deflecting the Ink demon away, Henry could see the golden glimmer growing fainter; while it was a good temporary solution, it seemed it was losing power. Soon, they’d  _ really _ be out of time. The other issue they had was summoning and opening the elevator on time as well, but Henry had already thought ahead for that problem; he had asked Alice to remotely send it their way ahead of time, and she was awaiting their signal to close it.

Turning roughly and bumping off the wall a bit, Henry grunts as his shoulder aches from the impact (Bendy shouting several ‘sorry’s), but he was too focused on the impending doom of the Ink demon to care. They were so close now as a few feet away the ‘cage’ to bring them down was waiting; Henry hoped the door would last long enough to make it.

_ “You think you’re so clever, that you can escape me?! I know your every move, /Stein!/ You cannot ESCAPE ME!” _

Frowning, Henry shakes his head behind the door he was still holding up between them

“Wasn’t planning on getting away- just staying alive!”

Clearly a bit skeptical, the Ink demon hesitates a moment as Henry and Bendy both collapse and roll into the elevator off of the ink, making both of them grunt in pain. Having briefly dropped the door however, Henry’s gap in self defense was enough to lure the Ink demon right in who lunges with claws extended ready to strike and kill. Unfortunately, Henry wasn’t quick enough this time; searing burning pain ripped through his left arm, shoulder, and chest as the Ink demon lashes over him, sinking the sharp claws deep into him. 

Despite the pain, he still manages to concentrate the pained yell into a sensible word:

“NOW!”

Confused and taken aback by the command, the Ink demon released him before whipping around as the gates to the elevator shut them in. With the Ink demon distracted by attempting to get through the bars and escape, Henry quickly shoves the door up again, squishing into the corner to make a small walled in spot for him and Bendy. Currently, the little demon was panicking over the old artist’s injuries

“HENRY!! A-are ya okay?! He got ya really bad, it doesn’t look good!! Oh man, oh man- what’re we gonna do?!”

Breathing heavily, Henry genuinely didn’t have an answer; all he could do know was try and bear the pain while praying they’d last the elevator ride down without the door losing all of its power. On the other side of it the Ink demon was roaring in frustration having found the elevator was similar to the stations, glimmering with the same power denying him to leave it when the doors were closed. Turning to the wooden door in the corner, he seethes with ink dripping from his teeth like foam

_ “/You/… You have made a GRAVE mistake, Henry… as soon as that little door can’t save you, you’re going to be turned into LESS than ink when i’m through with you!” _

Closing his eyes for a moment, Henry continues to focus on his breathing ignoring the threats from the Ink demon. Bendy ignores him too, instead trying to stop the dark inky ‘blood’ coming from Henry’s left side- but not to much avail.

“J-Just hang in there, okay Henry?? W-We’ll make it outta this, an’ then you can take a nice long nap an’ get all better! Okay? Yer gonna eat lotsa soup, get some WELL earned rest, an’ be safe!”

The more the little demon rambled, the more Henry realized he wasn’t trying to comfort him so much as he was trying to comfort himself; he was probably panicking at the thought of losing the old artist. However, Henry wasn’t too concerned; he’d just come back out of the ink as always. Right? 

A slight cold fear presses the back of his mind however, as he thinks that perhaps the Ink demon might not allow that; he might make it so Henry  _ couldn’t _ come back. After all… who knew how many secrets the Ink demon had that none of them were aware of? 

However, he’s snapped out of it as said Ink demon slams on the door making the old artist flinch as another dimmer gold glimmer protects them.

_ “Your time is running out… Pray uselessly while you can, traitors! It’s all you have left, considering there’ll be no mercy for you soon…” _

Indeed, Henry was praying in a way by hoping that the others were prepared, that they’d make it down in time, and that they’d make it out of this alive at all. Perhaps there was no divine entity who could help, but as long as they had hope there had to be some force of good left, right? After all, it seemed  _ something _ had to be working behind the scenes giving him protection… Whatever force created the golden shield, it was keeping them alive.

For now.


	18. Don’t Tap the Glass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time is finally here for their plan to trap the ink demon to be set in motion, but when victory seems so close things begin to take a turn for the worse. Reunited as a full group, Henry and the others face an even bigger problem than they'd originally planned for when the Ink demon follows his own plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Mild Violence and Injury
> 
> (One longer and one short chapter this update; also only one drawing for chapter 18! sorry for the wait, illness and college and all that- enjoy!)

* * *

Within the ink abyss of level 14, an air of dread had spread silence through the room; the only sounds that could be heard were dripping ink, projector reels rolling (including norman’s ambient clicking that blended in rather well), and the ever present but quiet creak of the studio’s walls. 

All over, the group had hidden themselves and were waiting with tense anticipation for Henry to arrive; Barley and Charley were poised near the elevator with a tarp to temporarily blind the demon by throwing it on him, and Edgar was hanging above from his grapple holding a reel line that would pull the demon clear of the stairs right into the ink in front of the corridor’s entrance that would lead to the jar. By the jar, Sammy, Boris, and Norman were waiting to grab and use their combined strength to seal the jar shut as soon as the Ink demon was inside it. 

Meanwhile, Alice was a small distance within the entrance of the other side to the corridors, ready with several controls. At the press of a button, she could either explode and block that side if the Ink demon attempted to take the wrong direction, or manipulate the controls to the elevator as she was now to guide Henry and their special guest to them. On her hip was the communication radio to keep her up to date on Henry’s situation, but it was now silent; she was tense and nervous knowing why it’d gone silent, having heard his assault through it. Things were already not going well.

Despite this, Alice held her ground and stayed waiting in her place as did the rest; everyone was in their spot, knew their job, and was armed heavily despite the fact they knew fighting would be rather pointless. Either way, it was better than admitting defeat and not preparing for a fight- at least, that’s what had been suggested.

All that was left was to wait, the suspense of the elevator’s arrival making them all slowly become anxious. However, the anxious silence is broken as a loud metallic screeching starts to echo down the shaft into the vaulted abyss walls. From her position, Alice was struggling with the elevator controls before yelling out for everyone to hear:

“The elevator’s losing its track! It’s coming in too fast, it’s not going to stop!”

Breaking from position, Barley releases the tarp and goes running

“I have an idea! Hold on!”

Nervously, Charley almost follows, but the fisher gestures for him to stay put as he dives into a duffel bag of tools and devices he’d brought. From above, Edgar nervously swings a bit before speaking

“Barley, whatever you are planning, do it  _ quick! _ ”

Running over then, the fisher breaks into the electronics of the elevator’s call button panel hooking up a mess of cables and wires. Confused, Charley calls over

“Anything I can do to help??”

“Just stay back unless you want to be fried”

Saluting him and taking the message clearly, Charley keeps back as Barley rigs a system fast as he can to a nearby power socket. Holding up one more clip, he takes a deep breath

“I  _ really _ hope this works…”

Clamping it on, a shower of sparks causes the entire abyss to be plunged into pure darkness (besides norman’s light of course), the flashing and sparking from the plunging elevator illuminating the shaft ominously as it screeches and begins to slow down. Panicked, Charley dances a bit

“W-What’d that do?! Did ya fix it??”

“I overloaded the power to shut off the elevator long enough to make the brakes clamp down. It should be slowed down enough to make it…”   
  


“ _ Should?? _ ”

Getting back to his position then, Barley scrambles to pick up the tarp signaling Charley to do the same from the other side.

“Should.”

The screeching of the elevator sounded far off, but it was quickly approaching; soon, they would be full sprint into action.

Of course, that action arrives sooner than they could have predicted as the elevator slams to a jarring stop on the level, the doors rattling loudly as it swings and hits the sides of the cement shaft. Inside, it was pitch black as the light had burned out, and none could see what was waiting inside. Shaken and surprised, both Charley and Barley stared waiting for something to happen as did the striker who wasn’t hanging too far off. Quietly, the piper speaks up; 

“Is that it?”

As if on command, the power suddenly surges back on, causing the doors to slam open as Henry uses the last of the miracle station’s door to slam the Ink demon off the elevator right into the tarp. Having not been prepared for such force, both the piper and fisher tumble away losing their grip of the tarp that had at least served its purpose regardless. Now flailing, the Ink demon tries to yank it off when Edgar casts and yanks a fishing line he’d borrowed from Barley right on his unformed leg.

With a screech that echoed off the walls worse than any other sound the abyss had ever held within it before, the Ink demon gets pulled right along on track; Henry wheezes as he watches from the railing of the landing, Bendy fretting over him still but he was focused on their plan. It was now or never- they had to succeed no matter what.

“Don’t let him get away! You know what to do; we can do this!”

Having been startled by the elevator problem, Alice snaps out of it shaking her head as she quickly detonates her side of the hall running from the rubble that now blocked the Ink demon who had attempted to run that way. Infuriated after bumping into it blindly, he rips the tarp off effortlessly with his claws before looking up at Edgar who had hooked and dragged him. 

Before he can attack however, a hatchet comes twirling from the other entrance to the corridors, slamming roughly into the Ink demon’s back causing him to temporarily lose his balance before reeling to face the assailant. 

Standing in clear view, Sammy holds another hatchet in his other hand as he managed to brave himself for the job; he had to keep the Ink demon on the right track, even if it meant committing terrible sin.

“I’m right here, my  _ lord _ ! Come and get me if you think me such a poor, naive prophet!”

Feeling an adrenaline rush at his arrogant disobedience, Sammy felt equally guilty but strangely thrilled at insulting the Ink demon. However, it turned to pure regret and fear as the Ink demon surges towards him by using the ink, snarling and terrifying as ever. With a brief rather high pitched scream, Sammy throws himself through the slats of the nearest wall to try and escape. 

“PLEASE DON’T KILL ME, I DIDN’T MEAN IT, OH GOD, I’M SO SORRY MY LORD, PLEASE FORGIVE ME AND DON’T KILL MEEE!”

Running a record speed for a music director, Sammy passes right by the trap ahead of the Ink demon who was now barreling down on him. Within seconds, he’d be tearing the so called ‘prophet’ into sad pieces- or so, he believed he would be. 

To the great fortune of them all, the Ink demon’s blind fury made him highly susceptible to poor evaluation skills; he couldn’t read an obvious trap, even when stepping right into it.

“NOW!”

As Alice yelled the command, she had cut loose the jar that was rigged to hold the Ink demon who realized too late what was happening and couldn’t stop his momentum which carries him straight into the swinging jar. Scrambling inside the glass jar half hanging out of it, he screeches as several others come scrambling out of the blue all over, grasping and forcing the glass container over him. Trying desperately to squeeze free through the ink, the Ink demon finds there is no way out; they had hidden the lid right under his feet, and now it was quickly sealing his escape.

_ “No! NO!! YOU CAN’T CONTAIN ME! YOU CANNOT STOP ME!!” _

With a heaving effort combined from Sammy, Norman, Boris (and Alice now too), the lid seals him in with a suctioning click. Inside, the Ink demon boiled with an inky fury that didn’t look unlike a violent snow globe- except that it was a jar instead of a globe, and thick black tarry liquid instead of fluffy white snow.

Limping in now with the assistance of Bendy and the butcher gang members, Henry stares in disbelief before the gang bursts into cheers and relief; Henry himself simply sighed in relief, smiling nonetheless. They had succeeded.

Alice roughly pats Sammy on the shoulder, who lurchers forward from the force before complaining and rubbing it; she just smiles and speaks

“That was brilliant, Sammy; your acting made him really think you were running away in fear and not right into a trap!”

Rubbing his shoulder still, Sammy stands a bit blankly

“Oh… uh, yes, of course; acting! I’m a very good actor.”

Norman gives him a small crackle of amusement before gently but playfully shoving him, clearly pointing out that the music director hadn’t faked his terrified fleeing at all

“Alright, alright! Can we just focus on the fact we trapped our lord himself in a  _ jar?! _ And we are still  _ alive?! _ Because I think that’s rather impressive, and terrifying!” 

Everyone turns to the jar then, the Ink demon heaving from wasting energy trying to escape, now leaning both hands on the glass and shaking with silent twitching fury. Bendy whistles at him, shaking his head

“It  _ is _ pretty impressive! Also pretty sad for this guy; what a  _ tool! _ ”

Furious, the Ink demon slams against the jar with enough force that it actually wobbles, causing over half of them to jump with a start. Wheezing, Henry looks to Bendy pleadingly still holding his still very injured left side

“Bendy,  _ please _ don’t antagonize him… the last thing we need is to shake a wasp in a jar that we’re going to be letting out eventually”

Bendy shrugs, but sighs in compliance

“Yeah yeah, whatever… he’s still in a jar.”

As the momentum of action and energy began to settle down, the group was now all admiring the Ink demon trapped in their oversized glass jar. Inside, the Ink demon’s grin was twitching with his fury still; it didn’t reflect his mood properly whatsoever. Frowning, Sammy takes a step closer only to quickly reverse the decision as the Ink demon slams into the glass towards him

“G-goodness! That was unnecessary, my lord!... What exactly are we to do now?”

Henry frowns, slowly starting to kneel as the pain was becoming unbearable from his adrenaline starting to wear off. Shaking a bit, he grunts while Bendy and Boris both rush over to him upset and fretting over him

“Henry!!”

“I-I’m alright… What we need to do now is- Nrgh! M-move him away from the ink…”

Soon, Henry found himself being approached by all of them; it seemed his rag-tag group cared quite a bit for him, which left the old artist feeling touched. All of them seemed to be trying to help him, lifting him up and offering different services

Alice was gently touching his shoulder as she spoke,

“We can bring you back to my lair, I have a place you can lay down that’ll be far better than anything”

Sammy shook his head, helping Boris and Norman hold him up

“You really do need to rest; after everything you’ve done for us…”

The butcher gang all seemed to be pushing one another as they tried offering different medical supplies, wanting to all help Henry at the same time before Bendy snaps at them a bit with “Hey, watch it! Quit crowdin’ him and bumpin’ all over the place like dumb balloons! You can all help if ya slow down!”

Behind the fuss however now that everyone had turned their backs, the Ink demon was slowly pushing the jar away from the commotion. Using his strength, he was repeatedly hitting the side of the jar so that the momentum was scooting it away- albeit rather slowly. Henry, having realized nobody was watching him, pushes them all away

“W-wait, you guys- the Ink demon! He’s getting away!”

The group’s attention quickly turns, Sammy gasping

“He’s pushing the jar away!!”

Norman quickly runs over and grasps the jar, stopping it from moving further; however, the Ink demon gave a devious grin that made Henry’s heart sink, trying to call out

“GET AWAY FROM HIM,  _ QUICK! _ ”

Unfortunately, it was too late; the Ink demon had thrown his whole force into the jar one more time, causing its glass to collide with and shatter that of the projectionist’s bulb and lens. Screeching in a combination of pain, surprise, and anger, he reels back away from the jar causing Sammy to yell and run over to try and help him. The projectionist’s rage however proves just as rash as the Ink demon’s, ignoring Sammy and instead slamming the jar furiously into the nearest wall.

With a resounding crack, the wooden wall splinters and loosens, but the Jar stays upright not falling through. Near the commotion, Barley gasps exclaiming in the loudest volume he’d ever spoken:

“The pulley system!! LOOK OUT!”

Sammy quickly tackles Norman out of the way, nearly falling into the ink in the process as the carefully crafted system they’d rigged now came crashing down, separating everyone in a frenzied dash to avoid injury.

The calamity settled down as fast as it had started however, Henry wheezing quietly as Boris whines holding him, Bendy clinging to Henry’s arm. Taking a painful breath, he forces himself to call out

“Is everyone alright?”

Shuffling from nearby was soon followed by Sammy’s voice

“I’m alright, but Norman can’t see; he broke his lens and bulb!”

Alice peers through debris at Henry, her gang all around her protectively

“We’re okay here, just minor bruises.”

Henry grunts, trying to get up on his own, but Boris huffs giving him a stern look holding him down.

“Boris, please; I need to make sure…”

The silent wolf shakes his head, Bendy getting in Henry’s face now

“Boris is right! Yer hurt an’ need ta stop pushin’! We can handle whatever’s happenin’, okay?”

Defeated, Henry sighs and nods while sinking back down to sit next to Boris who was now content.

“What about the Ink demon? Is he still contained?”

Without anyone having to answer his question, Henry hears a maniacal cackle that made his skin crawl and turn cold like he’d been hit with a blast of winter wind.

_ “I told you, Henry, time and time again… you cannot contain me” _

A loud gasp from Sammy comes from the other side of the debris, who cries out

“IT CRACKED! WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!”

With a sudden burst of ink, all of the debris including the glass jar goes flying, shattering everything into terrifying shrapnel that causes everyone to try and shield themselves.

_ “For once, the foolish music director is right; you all most certainly ARE going to die!” _

Somehow, Henry had known deep down that this was going to happen in a sense; there was no way things were ever so easy, or in their favor. Something  _ always _ happened; something  _ always _ went wrong. Somehow, something  _ always _ managed to rip away any progress Henry made as if the cruel ink dimension was watching and purposefully thwarting his every move. And Somehow, Henry felt this statement had more truth to it than he knew.

And now, there was nothing he could do but hope the others would at least be spared on behalf of his own foolish lead that had brought them to this.

Flinching, Henry feels the ink under them move as a chorus of gasps, yells, and screams fills the abyss; All of them were being flooded out of the halls into the open area that had even more room and ink at the demon’s disposal. Struggling as the ink gripped and crushed him, Henry grits his teeth before crying out in his own agony when his wounds feel like they’re being bored into with a hot iron.

Starting to hyperventilate, he blinks through tears sniffing and looking at an incredible and terrifying sight before him; they were all raised high above the floor now, each grasped in constantly shifting ink fists that surrounded the Ink demon who was held to their height by a pillar of his own ink. It made him think of a demonic octopus almost, but much, much worse; he now had to watch with agony as all of his newfound friends struggled in pain and fear. 

Breathing deeply despite his horrible pain, Henry yells loud as he can

“STOOOOP!”

The Ink demon pauses at that, his grin turning neutral as he turns to face Henry;

_ “Stop?” _

“Just- Stop! L-let them go… it’s me you want, n-not them! I’m your creator! I’m the one who’s responsible! Just… let them go. Please…”

Henry can feel himself devolving into tears, but he didn’t feel embarrassed as everyone’s attention turned to him despite it; all he could feel instead was the shame of bringing them into harm, having lead them all into this.

“Please… I’m begging you, just take me. It’s me who you want”

Silent for what felt like an eternity, the Ink demon’s mouth twists into a horribly devious grin that made Henry’s heart sink yet again

_ “Mercy? You’re begging for me to have mercy, and /spare/ them? Oh, dear Henry… you truly /have/ reached your darkest place, haven’t you? Nowhere left to run, nothing left to do… so you beg.” _

Henry grimaces as the Ink demon moves close to him and grips his face with terrible claws, making them look eye to eye- if it could be called that

_ “You took everything from me... you damned me to this eternal HELL! You will NEVER find ANY mercy from me! Everything and everyone you love will suffer forever because of you, as long as you persist in MY DOMAIN!” _

Frowning and staring, Henry can’t help it as he’s overwhelmed by his emotions; all the fear, guilt, pain, struggling, and everything was becoming too much. His kindness and hope could only hold out so long he supposes, yet… he can’t be angry. Instead, Henry takes a moment to let himself weep in front of the Ink demon who seemed to silently revel in his pain, before he sniffs and looks him in the eye again, everyone watching intensely

“I’m sorry.”

Shocked into silence, the Ink demon stares at him before becoming aggressive

_ “Sorry?! How dare you try and-” _

“You didn’t deserve this.  _ None _ of you did. All I wanted was to bring joy into people’s lives... to put my love, hopes, and dreams into my work- to inspire others... I didn’t want it to end like this. All of these... Broken dreams and promises; this  _ isn’t _ what the studio was meant to be. I’m sorry…”

Staring at Henry, the Ink demon was now frowning and hovering before him

_ “...You can cry your regrets all you want, but it changes nothing! It doesn’t change what happened to /me/!” _

Looking to his left then, Henry’s eyes meet with the scared wide ones of Bendy who looked rather emotional. Somehow finding it in himself to smile at the little demon, Bendy sniffs and blinks tears in response, looking down. Henry turns back to the Ink demon who was gritting his teeth in rage.

“I can’t change what happened to you… and I can’t change  _ you _ either. But that doesn’t mean nothing can change. I can still give you what you always deserved, what Joey never could…”

Moving away from Henry a bit, the Ink demon looks reluctant before moving in close again and hissing in his face

_ “And what, pray tell, is /it/?” _

Frowning for a moment, Henry looks over the angry visage of the Ink demon before speaking

“Love. I can give you love. And not just for who or what you were meant to be… but for who you  _ are _ . You’re not just a monster, or some  _ mistake _ . You’re  _ alive _ . And that means you deserve the same decency as anyone. I helped create you, and i’m more than ready to make things right. All you have to do… is let me help you. Let me give you  _ hope _ .”

Shocked into silence, the Ink demon moves away from Henry as he stares at the old artist; it was clear he was at a loss for words. Nearby, Henry could hear surprisingly that some of the others were crying. Either his message had reached further than he’d intended, or they were rightfully scared.

_ “After everything… all of the pain, fear, and suffering… you still… are somehow so naive, that you would be willing to help your worst enemy? You are a FOOL! A COWARD! I WON’T BE SWAYED BY YOUR LIES! NOBODY COULD EVER LOVE /ME/!” _

Frowning now, Henry tries to argue but the ink quickly covers his mouth rendering him mute; Struggling for a moment before the pain becomes too much, Henry stares wide eyed in helplessness as the Ink demon was now spinning all of them around himself like a sick amusement ride. Slowly, the Ink demon’s hands extended into claws Henry realizes were soon going to be gouging everyone he’d been trying so hard to protect.

Keeping everyone moving around him, the Ink demon pauses one of the arms in front of himself with a jarring stop; it was Bendy. Wanting to cry out, Henry felt his heart sinking at the thought of his beloved companion suffering the same wounds he currently was dealing with. The Ink demon however was grinning maliciously with delight as he brings the panicked struggling smaller demon before himself, extending his arms and claws in a grand gesture

_ “You may have eluded me for a while, but /finally/ you will pay for your /arrogance/. How does it feel, /Liar/? Knowing that no matter what you do, you can never win? That you will ALWAYS lose?” _

Squirming, Bendy slowly stops to glare the Ink demon down face to face, no longer looking scared; instead, he looked angry.

“If anyone’s bein’ arrogant, it’s  _ you! _ Actin’ like ya already won when ya haven’t even taken everythin’ into account! And fer the last time… I… Am NOT… A LIAR!”

The Ink demon merely grinned in amusement for the moment, until it quickly diminished into a frown as the ink holding Bendy bubbles. Bursting violently, the Ink demon hisses as ink splatters him while Bendy frees himself. Tumbling into a free fall, Bendy plummets towards the ink making Henry’s heart jump as if he were falling himself; however, the ink quickly raced up and catches him. From above, the Ink demon snarls

_ “That’s a cute trick, but it won’t save you! My abilities /far/ surpass anything you /think/ you can do!” _

Bendy doesn’t seem deterred however, merely looking even angrier and more determined

“Buddy… you don’t even know the  _ half of it _ ”

As Bendy closes eyes, Henry hears the nearby butcher gang members all chorusing in some kind of panic for whatever reason. He couldn’t quite understand what new problem they were fretting over until he catches a brief glimpse of it; Bendy had reopened his eyes, but they weren’t the friendly pie-cut eyes he’d known... instead, they were wild, unnerving, and angry.

_ “Oh, did I make you mad?” _

“Hell YEAH, YA DID!”

With that, Bendy breaks into his own menacing grin before launching himself with the ink so fast he slams hard into the Ink demon, smashing him into the nearest curve of the vaulted ceiling. Immediately, the Ink demon’s control was lost and now  _ everyone _ was falling towards the ink. A chorus of yells and screams echoed around Henry who was panicking himself, wondering how he was supposed to help them now; not to mention, he wasn’t invulnerable to falling either.

Within the commotion, Henry could hardly keep up with everything as it happened in a split moment; Edgar had managed to grapple to a wall and swung, catching his gang members and Alice before throwing them ungracefully onto the elevator landing with pained grunts. Sammy had clung onto Norman who blindly was bracing for impact, and Henry uselessly flailed with Boris as neither could do anything to save themselves. At the very last second however, a whole set of inky hands bursts from the ink catching all four of them and quickly letting them down to safety.

Falling to his knees from pain and exhaustion, Henry was met with Boris quickly lifting him up again causing him to grunt in pain. Looking around wildly, he sees that Bendy had taken the moment to save them, but was currently locked in a terrible wrestling match with the Ink demon who had sank his claws into the little demon. Weakly trying to go towards them, Henry calls out

“BENDY!”

Boris whines however, holding him firmly in place; Henry knew it was useless to try intervening now, but he still wanted to try because he knew for a fact that Bendy would do the same for him

“I have to help him!”

Distantly, Bendy yells as the Ink demon smashes him through a wall causing a loud rumbling; a massive pipe that had been behind it blows suddenly, ink shooting from it throwing both demons right back out into the abyss. Grunting from the force of it all, Bendy looks over to Henry with his wild angry expression

“HENRY! GO!”

“I’m not leaving you, I can’t-”

“I GOT THIS! JUST TAKE THEM AND RUN!”

“I won’t-”

“GO!”

The last word Bendy yelled sounded almost identical to the Ink demon’s scathing unholy voice, and it caught Henry off guard. Defeated, he looks around seeing Sammy trying to help guide the stumbling projectionist who was having difficulty walking now. Starting to have Boris help him hobble that way, the silent wolf whines again 

“I know, it’s bad; but we gotta grab them and get out of here… it’s the only thing we  _ can _ do now”

Boris still gives him an upset look, but suddenly lifts Henry entirely into his arms causing him to grimace a bit in pain before focusing on the other two

“Boris, you can’t carry me- someone has to help Norman, and you’re the only one strong enough”

Sammy looked ready to complain, but the weight of the projectionist was starting to pull him down. Behind them, a violent explosion of ink rains down on making Sammy stumble and almost drop Norman entirely, who lets out a crackly whine from his speaker. Reaching Henry and Boris, Sammy wheezes

“Th-think we could do a trade off here?”

Boris nods, setting Henry down who struggles to grasp onto Sammy now while Sammy transfers the projectionist’s weight to Boris in turn. Having made the trade off, the four of them start to limp quickly as they can towards the stairs, Sammy groaning

“How could this have happened?? Everything went  _ perfectly! _ Then last second, it all just… just fell  _ apart! _ How are we even alive?! Also, Henry, you’re  _ really  _ not much lighter than Norman”

Huffing a bit with the effort of moving with his injuries, Henry still somehow finds it in him to crack a little humor with a smile

“Just means-” He takes a moment to catch his breath before finishing, “-more of me to love…”

Sammy snorts, giving him a look

“You’re trying to be humorous  _ now?! _ ”

Henry merely thinks of the cheeky remark Bendy made a while ago on him getting chubbier in his age. He’d never really been ‘light’ to begin with his wider stature, but regardless, it never bothered him. He realizes, however, that was incredibly off topic of the current situation; maybe he was losing too much blood?

“Just.. gotta get to the elevator. Need to.. Reach others”

Sammy frowns at him, looking rather concerned

“Henry, don’t you pass out on us now! Just hold on a little more, okay??”

It was getting difficult however as they started going up the stairs, Henry finding his legs were getting harder and harder to move. Surprisingly, Sammy huffs before getting under him and  _ lifting _ him entirely onto his back; in the sudden feat of strength, the music director struggles rather obviously up the rest of the stairs.

“S-sorry…”

“Don’t be! Just don’t die on us! W-we need our leader, afterall!”

Henry blinks at that, wondering how smart it was to follow his lead in the moment. 

Ahead of them, Boris had made it to the elevator with Norman and set him down with Alice and her gang before running over to help Sammy carry Henry now. Finally, all of them were loaded into the elevator minus Bendy; Henry frowns, wishing he could see what was happening, but everything was starting to slow down and feel sluggish.

“Bendy?...”

Sammy frowns and Alice shakes her head before speaking

“He’s busy, and we need to move! I’m sure he’ll follow when he can!”

Hitting a button on her remote then, the elevator sparks a bit before starting to drop slightly faster than usual, taking them away. However, the elevator clunks and comes to a forced stop making Henry blearily look up. Just as he does, the light flickers and goes out.

“What’s happening?...”

Alice could be heard repeatedly clicking her remote, frustrated

“I don’t know!! Damn thing is jammed! Barley-”

“ _ I can’t fix demons, ma’am _ ”

At that, all of them jump with a start and yell in varying degrees as loud hissing and screeching from above them rocks the elevator, slamming it off the walls of the shaft. Briefly, the light flickers and Henry catches sight of something rather awful; ink was bubbling all over the elevator’s release holding onto the cables, visible through a hole that’d been broken into the roof. Sweating nervously, Henry holds his stomach knowing full-well what was coming next.

“Guys… brace yourselves!”

Without hesitation, a loud snap indicates exactly what Henry had feared; the Ink demon had cut right through all of the cables while ink jammed the emergency brakes. Yelling cries out from above he figures must’ve been Bendy, but it was too late; they were falling, and there was nothing that could save them now. Henry, for once ever since he ended up in this inky hell hole, decides to try and pray into the darkness as his stomach felt like it would fly away. Muttering under his breath, he whispers:

_ “For the love of all hope and any good that might be left in this place, please let us survive and see the light of day again” _

Closing his eyes tightly, Henry could feel himself starting to pass out; the G-force on top of blood loss was becoming too much, and his mind felt like it was floating right out of his body. Falling numb, he slumps unconscious to a chorus of fresh yells he thinks were probably over him, but he couldn’t hear them anymore.


	19. Elevator Pitch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As his friends are careening down the elevator shaft, Bendy needs to fight off the Ink demon while fighting to save them all. Using newfound strength and power, it takes up to the last second for him to find out if he can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none 
> 
> (sorry this one is short, an elevator can only fall for so long LOL)

* * *

Falling in the pitch black, Bendy could barely see the form of his opponent as they plummeted down the elevator shaft after said elevator that was careening away with all his friends. Angry, hurt, scared, but most of all determined, he was going to give it all he could; the Ink demon wasn’t going to take away everything from him like this.

Yelling, Bendy kicks off the wall slamming into the chest of the Ink demon despite it giving his enemy a clear shot at being able to claw him again; it didn’t matter to him anymore how much he got scratched or pierced, he wanted vengeance.

_ “You can’t WIN!” _

“I CAN  _ DAMN  _ WELL TRY, YA BASTARD!”

Cackling chaotically, the Ink demon was only making Bendy angrier

_ “My my, how charming! We are one in the same, but you love to insult me!” _

“I’M NOTHIN’ LIKE YA! Origin don’t mean NOTHIN’, it’s what ya MAKE OF IT! An’ all you’ve made is a  _ MISTAKE _ cause that’s whatcha always WERE!”

Quickly, the Ink demon’s smile diminished to a scowl before snarling

_ “YOU WERE THE MISTAKE, YOU NAIVE BRAT!” _

Wincing as claws dug into his back, Bendy growls in frustration before his own hands became clawed and he returned the favor, sinking them right through the Ink demon’s ribs. An angry howl echoes off the walls as they now were colliding with and ricocheting off of them. 

_ “YOU. WILL. DIE!!!” _

Bendy grimances, but holds back his own pain before yelling

“NEVER! NOT AS LONG AS I. HAVE. HOPE!”

Bendy grits his teeth, closing his eyes so tightly he swore he was starting to see light. Then, he realizes, there really  _ was _ light; opening his eyes in shock, he realizes it was coming from  _ him _ . Quickly shaking the confusion, he focuses on his battle with the Ink demon once more when a voice chimes in his head

_ “Bendy? Can you hear me?” _

Startled, Bendy disengages from the Ink demon who tries to claw him back into another hold, but misses him badly; he was getting beaten as much as the little demon was. Internally, Bendy responds:

_ “Henry?! Is that you?? How in tha Hell are ya talkin’ to me?!” _

_ “I-I don’t know, but I don’t think I can for long. I... think I passed out but I’m still here? That’s not the point though- Bendy, listen; the others are falling too fast, and they can’t stop it. You have to help them!” _

Growling a bit in frustration, Bendy whacks away the Ink demon’s arm and surprisingly, it glances off of him just like the miracle station door. Staring in awe, Bendy blinks making his eyes return back to their pie-cut form; was he  _ radiating gold?! _

“I can’t believe it!! Ya can’t touch me anymore! I Don’t have a freakin’ CLUE why, but still; HAH!”

As the Ink demon begins Howling with rage again, the shaft shakes around their descent and Bendy frowns

“Aw, crud. I really need to keep my mouth shut...”

Walls cracking loudly, Dark ink began flooding the whole shaft and pouring down after the elevator. If anything, they’d crash, all pancake, then get drowned; what a horrible combination. However… maybe he could use this!

_ “Alright Henry, I know what ta do; just don’t let go an’ give up on me!” _

_ “Thank you Bendy… I have faith in you” _

Hearing the old man’s voice sounding weak and tired, Bendy panicked a little

_ “Henry?... HEY! Henry, don’t let go, ya hear me?! Henry?! HENRY!” _

With a loud tsk of frustration, Bendy barely holds back the nagging fear over his creator; he had to focus. Shaking his head then, he smirks at the Ink demon who was writhing with fury

“Yer all outta luck, stink demon! Thanks fer the help though, in foilin’ yer own plans! It’s been real fun, but ya know what? Get OUTTA HERE ALREADY!”

With that, Bendy skims his hand over some of the ink, which glitters with gold at his touch… it was reacting differently to him now. Taking hold of his new power, the little Demon throws a hand in the Ink demon’s direction to test it. With a startled howl, the Ink demon is suddenly slammed into the wall so hard Bendy could feel he’d phased right through it into god knows what part of the studio.

Now alone in the dim waterfalling cascade of Ink, Bendy turns himself so he’s falling with his head aimed directly downward like an arrow trying to catch up to the elevator.

“DON’T WORRY GUYS, I’M COMIN’!”

Of course, they probably couldn’t hear him- but it didn’t matter. He was going to make it no matter what. He couldn’t afford not to. 

And as he deemed it, so it happened; quickly throwing out his arms to try slowing his descent, Bendy still rather ungracefully collides with the roof of the elevator. Struggling to recover fast as he can, he peers inside the hole the Ink demon had made earlier where he could see his friends all clinging to each other and various parts of the cart, including an unconscious Henry. Frowning, he slowly returns to his previous determination; they had almost no time left before they’d reach the bottom, which was coming up fast.

“ALL OF YA HOLD ON!”

From inside, he hears Sammy shriek

“BAD THINGS HAPPEN WHEN PEOPLE SAY THAT!!”

Snorting, Bendy shouts back

“JUST DO IT!!”

With that, Bendy throws his arms out into the waterfall of ink and watches in his own amazement as it all glimmers with a dim gold shine, falling under his control. Whatever was happening to him it was incredible; both in power, and to watch. Raising his arms then, he quickly throws them down with a strained grunt as he forces as much of the ink as he can around and under the elevator. Then, when wrapped well enough, he quickly starts trying to make the ink expand and shove against the walls of the shaft to slow their descent like a makeshift brake. 

Jerking, rattling, and throwing them all around, the elevator shakes violently as it struggles to stop falling. Sweating, Bendy was struggling barely able to control so much ink under such an intense force; but there was no other option. He  _ had _ to. 

Within seconds, everything felt like a blur as the cart comes to a crashing halt slamming hard into the bottom floor with enough force to throw off its doors. 

It felt almost as if reality had hit slow motion; shimmering ink sprayed in all directions, debris flew away in a radial burst of energy, and everyone inside fell to the floor of the elevator in varying degrees of unconsciousness and injury. Bendy himself had collided pretty hard with the roof of the cart, and was seeing stars before he groans and slowly forces himself to sit up and swat them away. He’d tried all he could, and there was a chance it still wasn’t enough; but Bendy hoped and  _ hoped  _ that they were okay.

Moving painfully, he looks down through the hole in the roof noticing the ink that was pouring down the shaft was starting to leak in and around the various barely conscious bodies within. Sighing, Bendy struggles once more to use his power one more time to break a drainage hole in the floor under the cart just big enough to let it all flood safely away without causing the floor to entirely collapse.

Wheezing, he now lowers himself into the cart dangling and kicking his legs for a moment before burning pain all over makes him drop like a rock, thudding pathetically to the floor. He’d half landed on something soft though, which he realizes was Henry; frowning, he scrambles to roll to his knees before checking on the old man.

“Henry?... Henry, I did it! I saved ‘em! They’re j-just a little unconscious an’ battered, but alive! I-I did it!....”

Frowning slowly though, he shakes the old artist gently

“Henry?... C’mon Henry, yer still okay! W-we all made it! All of us!”

He smiles, but it’s forced; inside, Bendy could feel cold fear gripping his thoughts again. He tries to push it away though, reasoning out loud;

“I-It’s okay… even if ya get hurt, you’ll just come back, right?... Cause ya always do. Y-ya won’t die…”

Around him, a chorus of varying groans alerted him that the others were stirring; however, Bendy kept his focus on Henry instead not wanting to leave his side until he was sure of his well being. Slowly, a hand pressed to his shoulder but he doesn’t look to see who it was until a familiar posh voice speaks to him

“Bendy… I… I am sorry.”

Shouldering the hand away, Bendy finally looks to Edgar who was frowning and looking rather bruised and battered up.

“Why? There’s nothin’ to be sorry about! It’s fine! And Henry’ll be fine!... he just… he just needs a moment.”

Looking back to Henry, Bendy was beginning to doubt his own words just a bit; but he always came back, so he just had to not panic. Edgar, he could tell, was shaking his head before kneeling next to Bendy

“I… I do not know if he can recover from this, but… strange things seem to happen here. Perhaps he will be alright..”

“He  _ will _ be. Because if he wasn’t, then we… then I… then, well... He just  _ has _ to be.”

Frowning, Edgar doesn’t say anything, but Bendy knew what he was thinking; if Henry died for good in here, they’d be doomed. Without Henry… they couldn’t have hope. Sighing softly, Edgar moves his hand on Bendy’s then, looking him in the eye

“He’ll be alright. We’ll all make sure of it.”

Blinking a bit, Bendy stares silently before his vision gets a bit blurry… his eyes were watering. However, he continues to force a smile

“Of course! I ain’t worried! We’re safe now. It’s over.”

Edgar was giving him a silent look of disbelief, but simply holds his hand reassuringly. Smile twitching a little, Bendy’s voice waivers

“H-hey… quit givin’ me that look! I-I’m fine! An’ it’s all gonna be okay! It’s gonna be-”

“Please, stop.”

Blinking and going silent himself, Bendy stares before trying to speak again, but he’s cut off;

“You keep forcing yourself to be like Henry- always pretending to be okay, so everyone else can rely on you. But  _ listen _ to me… you _ /don’t have to/ _ . Not you, nor Henry. We will be okay. You need not pretend for us while we have one another;  _ You are not alone. _ Just… please. Stop forcing yourself to smile.”

Suddenly feeling overwhelmed by exhaustion and pain, Bendy can’t help it; he inhales sharply before his smile melts away and he starts to cry. He felt like he was burning embarrassment (especially as more people woke up to witness it), but he was surprised yet again: Edgar had wrapped him in a hug, just like earlier when he’d encountered the Ink demon alone.

Letting out a sob, Bendy sinks into it and lets it all slowly settle over him; he’d come so close to losing his friends, losing Henry, losing his life- losing  _ everything _ . He couldn’t bear the thought that he’d actually lose it all, and was terrified.

Flinching, Bendy felt a second weight as someone else starts to wrap him in a hug too; blinking profusely through tears, he glances over to see Boris was there too now.

“A-aw c’mon guys… i-if ya don’t stop, I won’t be able t-to stop cryin’!”

Next to them, Bendy hears a sharp inhale of breath that caused all three of them to flinch; it was Henry. Quickly pushing out of the hug, Bendy moves to his side trying to blink away the tears as he presses his head to Henry’s chest, listening. Slowly, he can hear the old artist starting to breathe again; he was going to live. Letting a weak grin cross his face, Bendy sighs

“Y-ya did it Henry… ya held on. fer me. Fer all of us… good job, old man…”

Edgar blinks in disbelief before sighing and smiling as does Boris who was also relieved that Henry was alive. Nearby, a shifting smack and a grunt announces the grumpy music director who slowly sits up before speaking

“That. was truly. HELL! I am never EVER riding an elevator EVER  _ again _ . Now…”

He looks around, seemingly taking in the damage and emotional scene before sighing and rubbing his head

“I suppose we should move our wounded to somewhere safer and more comfortable…”

Bendy sniffs, wiping his eyes before nodding while still laying on Henry’s chest not wanting to move.

“I know a good place… it’s safe, an’ everyone’ll be able to get a break. Gettin’ there though… is gonna be a little rough.”

Groaning, Sammy flumps back to the floor of the elevator

“Wonderful… let’s just pile up a blind projector headed man, a bunch of living cartoons, a half dead artist, and two very tired ink people in a train and go.”

Snorting, Bendy smiles and closes his eyes listening to Henry breathe; it was making him sleepy almost as it was surprisingly comforting. He was picturing now the treacherous path through the archives that lay in wait for them to the safe area.

“Maybe not a train… but lotsa stairs and a danglin’ cart over a deep second fall to yer death is in tha way…”

Sammy merely groans even louder in response, his face muffled on the floor making Bendy snort a bit. Shrugging a little, the demon adds

“Ah, don’t worry; it’s only scary the first time ‘round. Every threat of fallin’ to yer death after just feels cliche!”

From the other side, Alice groans but speaks without getting up yet

“After  _ that _ experience, I’d have to disagree; I have a short cut we can take instead…”


	20. Heart to Inky Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dazed and in recovery, Henry takes a moment after some rest to share a few deeper feelings and thoughts with his loving toons about their situation (among learning a few other surprised)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none
> 
> (Note: only one drawing this update in chapter 21; enjoy!)

* * *

(Song: Russ Columbo - Just Friends, 1932)

_ “Just friends, lovers no more...” _

A warm hand holding his own, but it wasn’t unfamiliar; in fact, it was a warm firm grip he knew well.

  
“ _ Just friends, but not like before...” _

Slowly dancing, he was being held close; his eyes were closed, but he felt secure. He could trust the one holding him to lead.

  
_ “To think of what we've been, and not to kiss again...” _

His lips tingled, a ghost feeling of someone else’s clear in his mind; they’d just been pressed there.

  
_ “Seems like pretending, it isn't the ending...” _

Lingering in a doorway, he was waiting. They would be coming soon; they were just a bit busy.

  
_ “Two friends, drifting apart...” _

Solemnly, he knew he was stalling in the exit doorway; behind him, he could feel those intense blue eyes boring into him, pleading for him to stay. But he couldn’t. Not anymore...

  
_ “Two friends, but one broken heart...” _

It was the right choice; it had to be made. Besides… he was happier now. Soon, he’d have a lovely daughter. He could only hope there wasn’t bitterness left behind. Maybe they’d like to see her...

  
_ “...We loved, we laughed, we cried, and suddenly love died!  _

_ The story ends,  _

_ and we’re,  _

_ Just Friends!” _

-

Slowly, Henry comes to his senses feeling like the elevator may as well have landed on him; his entire body ached, and he felt incredibly heavy. He could hear the soft solemn lilting of a record playing with a song that was somewhat familiar to him. He could almost swear he remembered someone mentioning it to him in passing…

Opening his eyes now, Henry was greeted with a rather unusual sight; he was resting in a tiny room that must’ve once been an office, but had been repurposed into a mini clinic. He was laying on a bed that had been wedged in somehow, a record player on a small side table near him. A bookshelf far too big to be there was crammed into the other side of the room, tilted on a bit of an angle as it was too tall to sit flat in such space; it was cluttered with sad leftover scraps of pilfered medical supplies. A small stool was near the bed that he supposed would be for whomever was visiting or tending to wounds (considering nobody became ill anymore).

Looking up at the ceiling, an old dusty light flickered occasionally and dimly lit the room. There was also a curtain rod stuck precariously between the walls with a curtain that could be pulled shut, which would close off the bed from the room; Henry realizes comically though, it was most definitely a decorative curtain not meant for such a purpose. Not so comically, there was a blood bag hanging off it with an IV in his arm but it was most certainly not full of blood; he figures if anything, it was likely ink to replace his lost ‘blood’. Sighing, he wonders where in the ink dimension he was now since he didn’t recognize this room at all.

Now moving his attention to himself, Henry realizes his shirt and sweater-vest had been removed and his entire torso was wrapped in bandaging. Grimacing, he suddenly feels the pain; burning, dull, and definitely deep. For whatever reason, he’d not succumbed to the ink and reformed  _ or _ simply healed, and now had to deal with injuries for once. What was so different this time??

Closing his eyes again, Henry feels exhaustion tempting him to fall back into either sleep or unconsciousness, the music only adding to the feeling. He’d just take a quick moment to rest, then get up and check out his situation.

Laying there in the quiet, he sinks into a darkness not unlike the inky abyss before he decides it’s time to try and wake up again.

Opening his eyes once more rather slowly, Henry realizes with a slight start that much more time had passed than he’d thought; the light was off now, and the record player was too. Someone had recently come through, and even changed his bandages it seemed as he ached more than before and they felt tighter. Although, he realizes, something else was exaggerating the feeling…

Looking down, Henry sees that Bendy had somehow climbed on top of and cuddled up to him without rousing him from sleep. To be fair though, he wasn’t sure if it could be called sleep if the bandage change didn’t wake him either. Quietly sighing, he smiles a little at Bendy finding the way he was sleeping rather cute. He must’ve been worried for the old artist, which didn’t surprise Henry; after everything they’d been through, they were bonded pretty closely.

Struggling a little with pain, he lifts the arm Bendy wasn’t clinging to and pats it to the little demon’s head gently before petting him. He couldn’t entirely be sure, but if he was alive and Bendy was here, everyone must’ve made it. The thought made him feel incredibly relieved, and soon Henry was dozing right back off.

-

Once more waking again, Henry lets out a sharp grunt of pain as this time he’s woken by the commotion of someone clearly doing something to him. Groggily opening his eyes and looking around in startled confusion, he receives an equally startled response as a voice he doesn’t recognize reacts 

“He’s awake! Quick; go get the others!”

There was a shuffling from near the door, and Henry tries blinking to clear up his vision. Slowly, his eyes came in to focus and he realizes there was a lost one sitting on the stool rebandaging him. They weren’t alone however, as the projectionist was present and currently holding Henry upright for the lost one who was continuing to bandage him despite the pain. The lost one speaks, a different voice from the first he’d heard...

“I’m sorry if it hurts, but you bled a lot; if we don’t change this, it’ll stick to you  _ permanently _ … I’m sure you don’t want that.”

Grunting, Henry shakes his head a little, finding it surprisingly difficult to speak at first

“Nn..nno. Not really...”

Norman gives a small snort, his projector head bobbing a little from it; Then, Henry hears the first strange voice speak up again- it had a southern accent, and was on the deeper side in a way one may describe as handsome.

“He’s still dazed off his nut on that painkiller ya gave him.”

Looking for the source of the voice, Henry was feeling more and more confused; where was the strange voice coming from? And why was it familiar? Also… what the heck did they give him??

“Hello?... ssomeone there?”

Henry felt a bit embarrassed at the slight drawl his grogginess was causing, but it only elicits a small chuckle in that southern voice again…

“Well, guess I ain’t helpin’ much neither, huh? Thinks there’s someone else in here… Guess I kinda  _ did _ spend a lotta time screechin’ like a possessed banshee, and not a lot talkin’.”

The lost one finishes reapplying the bandages to Henry’s aching relief, Norman lowering him back down; Bendy and Boris come cramming their way into the already tight space then, making the lost one have to struggle getting up without knocking anything over. The lost one nods then before speaking;

“Alright, i’m done here for now. Just be careful with him, and don’t overwhelm him- he’s still groggy and needs to process things longer until the drug wears off”

Having given the group the room, the lost one was gone now as Henry blinks blearily at the others, probably looking a bit pathetic right now. He wanted to at least try and solve one thing though...

“Hhhwhere’s the cowboy?...”

At that, Bendy bursted into snorts and laughter making Henry feel a bit embarrassed again; was it so obvious?? What was he missing? 

Bendy trots up to him then, quickly clinging to him in a hug causing a pained grunt that makes the little demon grimace some

“Oh- sorry… I’m just  _ really _ glad yer okay! You were in an’ out a lot. It was super close… we almost lost ya! B-but ya held on!”

Frowning, Henry felt a bit shocked to learn he’d really been on the brink so long- and dangerously close to apparently not coming back. What was happening to him? Also… why wasn’t anyone answering his question??   
  


“Yeah, buuut… still. Hwwhy did you laugh?”

At that, Bendy perks up with a little ‘Oh; right!’ smile and steps back, at least as much as the space permitted

“Henry, while you were out we’ve been tryin’ ta patch up a little. So far everyone’s doin’ better, but there’s still a few problems… things aren’t so great right now”

Bendy frowns, making Henry a little concerned but Boris interrupts as he excitedly goes up to Henry seeming like he was up to something. Bendy grins pretty wide himself before the wolf happily signs with his hands:

_ ‘Hi, Henry! They taught me sign language!’ _

Smiling slowly now, Henry lets out a huff of happy disbelief

“Tha’s great, buddy! How hassz that been?”

Boris gives a vague gesture, before looking like he’s thinking, carefully signing again

_ ‘Slow, but I’m getting it!’ _

Henry smiles, but still was confused

“I’m glad… tha’s amazing, Boris. But... can you guyssz explain the other thing now? Tha voice?”

Bendy blinks, realizing the question was directed mostly at him before huffing a bit with a smile

“Don’t look at  _ me _ ,  _ he  _ can introduce  _ himself _ .”

Henry squints, not sure what to think; who was he supposed to be looking at? Slowly, his gaze turns to look at Norman before Henry hears the southern accent again

“Henry, you’re lookin’ right at me an’ ya still can’t figure it out?”

A bit boggled by that, Henry blinks before turning his full attention to Norman who had his hands on his hips now.

“Wh… Norman?”

Nodding now, Henry notices the speaker box on his chest was spotless and looked almost new; also,  _ it was vibrating as the voice spoke _

“Mm-hm! Who else? Ya listened to my recordings, didn’tcha?”

Still processing, Henry’s face must’ve been pretty priceless as Bendy devolves into more snickering at his expense. Excitedly, the little demon bounces next to him before being surprisingly gentle as he lays against him

“Everyone survived, an’ we’re all okay! Thanks ta you, Henry!”

Looking to Bendy, Henry smiles gently rubbing Bendy’s head a little before shaking his own

“No… thanksss t’ you. And ev’ryone themselves. You all did great…”

Bendy closes his eyes, and Henry almost gasps out loud when he hears what he could swear was a purr coming from the demon; jeeze, he really  _ was _ cat-like sometimes. Bendy seemed to not have noticed however, as he speaks instead

“Thanks fer not givin’ up on comin’ back, Henry… we  _ really _ need ya now, more than ever…”

His tone makes Henry frown as he felt that something wasn’t quite right; and why should it be? After what they’d all been through, he could only imagine morale was not very high. Turning his attention to Norman, he attempts to ask;

“Wha’s going on with the otherssz?... issz everything okay?”

Norman shifts his posture, crossing his arms before speaking (and Henry was still trying to get used to that being a thing now)

“Ah, could be worse… but the little devil’s right. Alice is meltin’ worse than ever, an’ she’s gettin’  _ real _ fussed up about it which is makin’ her gang antsy too. Sammy’s actin’ odd… i’m worried ‘bout him most, ‘cause he’s gone… quiet. He won’t say nothin’ ta me, an’ he just sits in the corner all sulky playin’ on a banjo the lost ones got for ‘im. Something’s botherin’ him, an’... I wish I knew what...”

Letting out a heavy rattling sigh from his speaker, Norman looked rather… tired.

“I was… hopin’ that maybe if I could speak, I could reconnect with him. But now he’s bein’ colder than the devil’s snowman.”

Bendy pouts, lifting his head off Henry

“I still miss that snowman…”

Boris gently pats the little demon while Norman shakes his head. Henry realizes something else he probably should have sooner; the bulb and lens in Norman’s projector had been fixed and replaced too. They really  _ had _ been busy... but also, what was bothering Sammy so much now? Deep in his gut though, Henry already felt he knew the answer.

“...it’s the Ink demon.”

The air of the room tensed as the other three turned their attention on Henry at the mention of their enemy. Oddly enough, Henry felt as if his senses had cleared up in that moment too- a convenient time for the drugs to wear off, he supposed. Quickly trying to diffuse the tension, he continues; 

“I mean, the Ink demon is what upset Sammy. He worshiped him, saw him as some… merciful savior who was going to be his key out of here. Now… well, I think he’s getting a bit of a wake-up call.”

Norman lets out a sound of exasperation then, knocking gently on the side of his projector head

“ _ Of course! _ How could I have been so blind?? After nearly bein’ killed by his ‘lord’, he’s surely second guessin’  _ everythin’ _ . Ah, man… I really hope he ain’t second guessin’  _ me _ .”

Shaking his head again, Norman straightens up... 

...only to bump the curtain rod, being unfortunately tall for the cramped room

“I’ll go talk to ‘im… thanks fer the heads up, Henry.”

Henry nods back, but Bendy snorts shrugging

“Sammy shouldn’t have trusted the stink demon in the first place anyways… he’s good fer nothin’ an’ mean!”

Norman huffs, ignoring him to Henry’s relief as he leaves. Boris whines gently then before nuzzling Henry making the old artist smile

“Hey now; it’s okay… we’re going to figure things out, okay?”

Boris and Bendy both snuggle up to Henry who smiles more, but even he felt unsure. They’d failed in containing the Ink demon, and it had nearly cost their lives… he couldn’t help but feel deeply responsible for the near disaster. He’d inspired the idea, and lead them right into it… how could he have been so dumb thinking they could  _ catch  _ a  _ demon _ ? 

Frowning now, he sighs heavily letting himself sink into the bed feeling exhausted in more ways than one. Perhaps the fact the recordings suggested the Ink demon had been contained once before gave him the idea… but it was clear he’d had escaped the prior containment as well; why had he thought it’s be different for them? Regardless of it, he felt this wasn’t the time to be wallowing in guilt and regret.

“You know… things will work out, we’ll make sure of it. But still… it could be better. Where we’re at…”

He slowly lifts an aching arm, looking at his battered ink stained hand

“Well. We just need to figure a few things out, because if we keep going around blind like this… someone will get irreversibly hurt.”

Henry felt a deep, tired ache in his chest that was more than just physical injury this time; it was something more. Perhaps, he thinks, it was his perseverance starting to wane as it was always being tested, now more than ever... but relaxing it meant giving up, and that wasn’t an option. 

He then notices two very beady sad gazes looking at him, and he frowns before sighing and gently pulling both of his creations into a loving hug

“Alright, c’mon guys… don’t give me that. I’m just tired is all… after a small break, we’ll figure it out, okay?”

Bendy pouts more though, wrapping his arms gently around Henry

“Henry?”

Looking to the little demon, he raises an eyebrow

“Yeah?”

Sniffling a little, Bendy looks him in the eye with concern

“How long…”

He goes quiet before speaking again

“How long are ya gonna keep pretendin’? Everyone breaks at some point…”

Staring, Henry wondered where Bendy had gotten such an idea; had he realized it himself? Did he think Henry was faking a facade to keep everyone happy? He supposes, in a sense, it had more truth than he was willing to admit…

“I’m not pretending… promise. I really do feel the way I do. People rely on me, and I know that- but i’m saying and doing everything because that’s who I am, not just for you guys. I promise… I’m just guiding everyone because they decided to follow me.”

Bendy seems to search Henry’s face for any hints of a lie, but sighs and nods apparently having found none

“...Okay. I just… I just don’t wantcha ta think ya have to bear all this stuff alone, okay? Someone… kinda wise told me that. We have each other, an’ ya don’t have ta lead alone.”

Surprised a little by the wisdom coming from his demon friend, Henry stares for another moment before a warm smile crosses his face that comforts both Bendy and Boris

“Whoever told you that is very wise indeed… they’re a good friend.”

Bendy positively beams at that, nodding a bit with his head still laying on Henry

“Yeah… they are. An’ I think… well, I definitely wanna keep ‘em around.”

Henry smiles back still, sighing a little more contently now as he leans back in the bed closing his eyes while he continues to hug the two.

“I think I’d like to keep  _ all _ of you around, really… I don’t think I ever want to be alone. Not again after this...”

Pondering the thought, Henry realizes that his words couldn’t have been more true; when they escaped (and they  _ were _ going to escape), he’d be sure to keep everyone together if he could help it. What they were going through, Henry couldn’t imagine separating indefinitely afterwards; and the thought of living in a big family so there would never be a lonely empty moment again… well, that filled him with warmth. He could only hope the others might feel that way too, and want to stick together. In the end, if they all split off… well, Henry wasn’t sure his heart could handle it; being alone for so long, he had gotten attached.

And now, he almost felt like praying again. He didn’t want to end up alone with nothing but his memories and regrets like someone else he knew, who’d suffered that terrible fate…

...Someone who had ultimately shared that pain with everyone.


	21. Not Somebody Who’s Seen the Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Sammy has to come to terms with his mislead hopes and false following of the Ink demon, he's met with harsh emotions he wasn't prepared to face. In a spark of heated passion he finds surprising comfort and potential new hope before something starts to change... both inside him, and he himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: None besides it's REALLY EMOTIONAL and deals with some depression related issues
> 
> Note: editing this chapter made me cry :') enjoy

* * *

Plucking the strings of a banjo one at a time rather solemnly, Sammy just couldn’t find it in himself to play anything... yet, he couldn’t put down the instrument either. He was deep in thought, feeling incredibly… confused. and definitely not alright. Everything was different now, and he wasn’t sure if it was for the better.

Sighing, he leans his head down while plucking another solemn string and letting it echo against the instrument. Everything he’d believed in was thrown to the wind… what could he even think anymore? His blind following of the Ink demon, for one, was conflicting him the most. He was supposed to be their savior. He was supposed to help them. He was  _ supposed _ to have set them free.

But now… looking around, seeing all of these people for the first time as they truly were and not through blind worship… he could tell he was wrong. The Ink demon wasn’t merciful, helpful, nor any kind of savior who was going to help them be free. No… he was just as twisted and tormented as the rest of them, if not worse for being a tormentor himself who only sought to cause more suffering in their already wretched realm.

With the truth of the Ink demon nagging him, Sammy felt guilty having ever believed in him; he was  _ supposed _ to have been a prophet, following without question so he would be delivered from suffering. But now… where could he put that faith? It was clear everything he’d believed was wrong. That he, himself, had been wrong this whole time and had hurt so many others.

So, then, what was he supposed to believe? Who was going to help them now, if there  _ was _ anyone? Sure, Henry seemed like their best bet- but he wasn’t powerful… he was just… another person, like them. It all seemed so hopeless… that they could do nothing, being just leftover nobodies made of ink that were long forgotten with no true hope left to turn to. Whatever force of good may have existed before their realm was missing now, and just as long forgotten as them, clearly never going to return to them again… at least, that’s how he felt.

Plucking another hollow note, Sammy feels the vibration through the instrument and hums slightly to mimic it. Who were they now? What were they going to do now? And who was going to help them now?

Lifting his head directly up to stare at the ceiling now, Sammy feels his heart ache for some answer; he almost just wanted to cry out to someone above, and pray he be heard. But at this point her felt there was no one. They were truly, and utterly alone and disconnected. And that, he thinks, made him feel more hopeless than anything.

It seemed now all that was left was the pain and empty wishes for it to end… a hollow, dark, and somber place. In a sense, he wonders if this is what it was like to be dead; waiting in a dark place with nothing but despair, wishing someone could help you, always longing for what used to be. He didn’t much like to imagine this was what the afterlife was supposed to be.

Yet again, Sammy plucks another somber single note and closes his eyes letting himself be taken by another memory; it’s all he’d been doing since they were rescued by the lost ones in what felt like had been days ago. 

He was sitting in his office, back turned to the door hunched over song sheets; in one hand was a pen that was dripping ink pointlessly onto a blank sheet, the other shoved into his hair in frustration. He’d been trying for hours now to write a song, but he just  _ couldn’t _ ; he didn’t feel happy at all, and writing a happy tune was impossible like this. With the direction the company was taking, he was at a loss of what to do and he’d been drinking more than usual. How could he have hope when the career he’d dreamed would make a name for him was soon not going to exist anymore?

Groaning, he reaches for the bottle of wine he’d snuck into his office when suddenly he feels a bigger hand grasp his firmly, causing him to flinch. Sitting up quickly with fear of being fired for the wine, he turns only to relax and sigh irritably; it was just Norman.

“You scared me… don’t you know not to sneak up on me like that?!”

Norman smiles apologetically, still holding his hand as he moves closer

“Sorry… ya just seemed busy. Ya know ya shouldn’t be drinkin’ on the job… or as much as ya have been in general.”

Frowning, Sammy looks away, but finds his cheek is quickly cupped to reconnect their gaze

“Sammy… I’m worried about you.”

Blinking, the music director sighed heavily while sinking his face against the projectionist’s palm before speaking

“I… I’m sorry. I’m just worried too… about everything. I don’t want to lose this… or…”

He trails off, but Norman smiles sympathetically adding on

“Ya don’t wanna lose this place, or me. Ya like it here despite whatcha let on…”

Pouting, Sammy doesn’t look at Norman until the projectionist kneels to his eye level

“Sammy… ya know you can always talk to me, right? I care aboutcha, an’ I wanna make sure you’re alright.”

Sammy blinked repeatedly now feeling his eyes burn a little, trying to look away but he finds he can’t; Norman’s gaze was holding his firmly

“I… I’m not good at talking. You know that… If I think about it too much, it just drives me mad until I just-  _ burst _ .”

Norman sighed before moving in close enough that their foreheads touch, making Sammy close his eyes and inhale shakily as the other spoke

“Then don’t talk. Just… let me be here with ya, alright? An’ if you’re ever ready to… then we can talk.”

Nodding a little, Sammy quietly enjoys the comforting touches of the projectionist who was slowly pulling him into a hug

“Just being with you makes me feel better…”

Norman’s voice sounded distant then, almost echo-y

“Bein’ with you makes me feel better too…”

Opening his eyes, Sammy finds himself staring at the bright lens of current Norman, who had been apparently watching him the whole time it seemed. Huffing slightly, Sammy gives him a look

“What? You just enjoy staring at me now?”

A heavy sigh rattles from the speaker on Norman’s chest before he slowly clanks down in front of the music director, sitting with him now.

“Ya know Sammy… I’ve been worried about you.”

Blinking, Sammy finds the coincidence a tad uncanny; either way, he looks back to his banjo, half heartedly plucking a three note tune

“Well, you shouldn’t be… you should be worried about everything else.”

Norman sighs again, shaking his projector head

“I don’t have ta be if everyone else already has it covered. I’m worried about  _ you _ . Ya just… haven’t been yourself lately.”

Frowning himself now, Sammy stops plucking on the banjo to silently stare off into the distance

“To be frank with you, I haven’t exactly  _ been _ myself since ending up here. I’m... “

He looks down, going silent once more as he starts tuning the banjo for the hundredth time. Norman surprises him then by taking hold of the instrument’s neck and tugging it from his grasp so he can move in front of him

“It’s because of the Ink demon. You were all hopped up on believin’ he was gonna save us, an’ that you were a special part a’ some plan fer freedom. But now… you’re lost. Confused, ‘cause you had forgotten everythin’ t’ follow some weird faith, tryin’ to cope. But that wasn’t you… an’ now you’re actin’ unlike yourself in a different way, bein’ all quiet an’ broody...”

Feeling his face get hot with shame, Sammy looks away refusing to look back now

“It’s ridiculous- it feels like  _ i’m _ the foolish sheep now, surrounded by other confused, aimless, scared sheep.  _ None _ of us know where to go, or what to do. I  _ had _ a purpose… I  _ had _ something to hold onto. But now…”

Trying to take the banjo back, Sammy grunts with irritation when Norman doesn’t let go

“Now, i’m getting irritated and tired of it all!”

Staring silently at Sammy for a moment, Norman releases the instrument making the music director feel a little guilty for snapping at him. Slowly, he takes the Banjo back into his lap before looking down once more

“I’m… sorry. It isn’t your fault, and I shouldn’t take it out on you… It’s just so frustrating.”

Norman gently places his hand on Sammy’s now, making the music director pause to look at it. He dims his light before leaning his projector head forward, gently resting it against Sammy’s and speaking

“I know. I don’t blame you… your whole view just got washed away ina traumatic event. It’s a wonder you’re functionin’ at all right now.”

Sammy frowned at that, not looking up but staying close with Norman; it was the most comforting thing this place had to offer him anymore. He stays quiet, prompting the projectionist to speak again

“...it’s not hopeless though. Maybe the Ink demon won’t help us, but we don’t need ‘im anyhow; we’ve got our friends, an’ each other. We’ll find some other way outta this place, and we’ll do it  _ together _ .”

Wishing he could accept the comforting words, Sammy instead just felt overwhelmed; how could he just be okay with it all? How could he accept it, be so calm, and not outright infuriated by it?? And, worst of all, how could he be so accepting when Sammy couldn’t even  _ begin _ to fathom accepting it?! Growling with frustration, Sammy suddenly pushes away from Norman standing so fast he nearly drops the banjo before shouting those exact thoughts

“How can you just  _ be okay with this?! _ Clearly, you don’t UNDERSTAND! Without the Ink demon,  _ none  _ of us will _ EVER LEAVE! _ ”

Shaking a bit, he was gripping the neck of the banjo tightly while refusing to look as he could feel everyone’s attention was boring into him now; especially Norman’s. Norman quietly tries to calm him;

“Sammy, we don’t need him; we’ll still get out an’-”

Sammy cuts him off however, feeling angry and starting to yell once more

“The Ink demon is the KEY out of this place, because he’s what controls this  _ dimension! _ If he’s not on our side, then we can NEVER open the gate to get  _ home _ ! But he never would’ve helped us anyways, because there is no prophet, there is no mercy, nor any savior; there’s only HELL! I believed I could appease him, maybe get him to see things for the better to help us- or at least  _ me _ because I selfishly just wanted to go home- but he  _ never _ WILL!”

Gripping the banjo with both hands now, he grits what would’ve been his teeth

“He doesn’t care; he never did, and never WILL because he’s just a DEMON! That’s all he was, and ever WILL be! An  _ evil _ ,  _ wretched, twisted  _ DEMON! And I, OH, I was FOOLISH enough to BELIEVE otherwise! That he was some  _ God, _ some  _ savior _ , some holy entity that would SPARE ME! And now, I’m exposed for the moron I was, blindly wishing for something I knew deep down this whole time was NEVER TRUE!”

Shaking in his fury, Sammy could see Norman starting to get up, but he waves the banjo between them like a weapon as he continues making the projectionist hold his hands up and keep his distance

“So now, all i’m left with is a  _ shell! _ I don’t know anything anymore! I-I’m not some, some PROPHET, some sacred being who will be freed! I’m not a music director, as the band is LONG gone and  _ dead _ , and I’m most  _ certainly _ not even HUMAN anymore! How do I even know i’m really  _ Sammy Lawrence  _ anymore?! All that’s left is an echo, a copy, some- some false memory of what I used to be! And I have NOTHING! Don’t you see it?! The real Sammy is DEAD!”

He could feel inky tears starting to burn what would be his eyes, if he really had any; his voice had become shrill when he’d practically screamed the word ‘dead’, and he was quickly losing his composure. Norman looked taken aback, but Sammy continues anyways still holding the banjo between them

“E-even if we did convince the demon… e-even if, by some  _ miracle _ , we managed to open the way h-home… we can never  _ leave _ . Because, there  _ is _ no home! Th-there’s no  _ us _ anymore, and there’s n-no going  _ back _ . We’re all just  _ ink _ . we’re all just... l-lost echoes, memories of what we  _ used _ to be… and we… I… I can never go home… I’m  _ dead _ ...”

Lowering the banjo finally, Sammy can feel himself shaking terribly from a whole different emotion

“I can  _ never _ be myself again… I can  _ never _ …  _ ever _ … go back. There’s no point anymore… because the world has probably moved on without us, and we’re  _ nothing _ but ink. I’m n-nothing but  _ ink _ … there’s nothing left…it’s all nothing. I’m...”

Dropping the banjo with a heavy clank, Sammy lets out a sob before unashamedly looking up into Norman’s lens now

“I’m  _ nothing _ .”

He devolves further into sobbing then, hanging his head and feeling the burning shame of it all as he covers his face and backs up against the wall, sliding down it to curl into a ball. Shaking with each sob, Sammy can’t bear having to face the fact he’d openly humiliated himself in front of everyone just now- so he ignores it all to cry and separate himself from them. The person Norman thought he was was long gone, and he could  _ never _ be that person again.

Despite his despair though, his mental isolation was broken as he feels warm arms wrap around him; he knew it was Norman, who he felt should have just walked away.

Instead, Sammy finds himself being uncurled by the projectionist who pries him apart to properly hold him. Clinging to Norman as tight as he can, Sammy was thankfully held in return just as tight. He quietly lets himself just cry, Norman comforting and holding him for what feels like an eternity before he manages to quiet down enough to just sniffling. Then, he hears the soft buzz from Norman’s speaker which surprisingly lent itself to sounding rather empathetic and warm despite the artificial air it gave his voice...

“You’re not  _ nothin _ ’. You’re  _ everythin’ _ . At the very least… you’re everythin’ to  _ me _ . And maybe that’s not a whole lot, but… well. I dunno what i’d do without you…”

Blinking, Sammy felt like breaking into more tears all over again at Norman’s words, but he holds it in while breathing deeply and settling against him. Sighing shakily, he tries to relax a bit before speaking, but his voice still sounded rather pathetically drenched in his sorrow

“Norman… I…”

Sniffling hard, he buries his face against Norman’s shoulder

“ _ I don’t deserve you. _ I don’t deserve  _ any _ of you… I-I was a blind fool following a  _ demon _ … I almost got you  _ killed _ . How could you even love me anymore when i’m not anything I  _ used _ to be?  _ I’m so sorry… _ ”

Sammy suddenly feels a hand gently rub his back as Norman comforts him, the man’s projector head pushing against the side of his own; it was oddly comforting despite it all. Just the contact was enough, really.

“You ain’t got nothin’ to be sorry for… all that matters now is that you’re  _ here _ . An’ I don’t care about what ya  _ used _ t’ be, Sammy… I care about ya  _ now _ . Sure, I held onto what we had, but… things’re different. I just learned to accept that, cause, well… if I loved ya before, then I can love ya again; don’t matter to me  _ what _ or  _ who _ ya are now.”

Staring hard into the distance, Sammy sniffs again before something odd starts to happen... he feels… warm. It was almost as if all his hopeless sorrow had just been… melted away. Slowly, he was taking it all in; though he had been wrong and was lost, he’d been found again, just not how he had imagined. He had friends now, and no matter what, they’d stuck with him… even if he was rude, curt, snappy, and- well-  _ this _ . They’d never given up on him… but, especially,  _ Norman _ had never given up on him. 

This whole time… ever since they’d arrived in this alternate reality… the projectionist had been holding out hope to meet him again, regardless of what changed. To find his lost love again, even if they didn’t reunite romantically; all he wanted to was to be with  _ him _ . Maybe they were made of ink, but that hope… that… love. It was  _ real _ . And as long as the memories and feelings were real… maybe... they weren’t  _ just _ ink.

Sniffing, Sammy slowly smiles as he hugs Norman starting to chuckle a little; the projectionist rightfully became confused, trying to look at him but they were too close for his bulky head to properly turn.

“What’s so funny??... ya haven’t lost yer mind there, have ya?”

Sammy can’t help it then as the whole emotional roller coaster just crashes in on him; he’d practically thrown a fit, cried, and now, he felt a weird almost nonsensical euphoria. Moving his face from Norman’s shoulder to let out a hearty laugh filled with joy, he lets the absurdity of it carry him away. 

All around, lost ones were amazed and watching the whole debacle- even Alice and her butcher gang crew. Soon, Sammy notices, they were also joined by a baffled Henry who was being assisted by Bendy and Boris as he limps out of the makeshift infirmary; all of them were equally confused.

Sighing, Sammy smiles more as he moves away from Norman to look him in the eye

“I’m sorry, I just… you’re right. All that matters now is what we make of this, isn’t it? Of  _ course _ we can’t go back… at least, not to what we had; I’ve  _ always _ known that… but you… Norman, you really  _ did _ see it.”

The projectionist silently stares at him, and Sammy thinks he would’ve blinked in confusion if he could; instead, Sammy sighs but still smiles

“All I needed was to accept the truth...or, at the very least, start to.”

He gently touches the side of Norman’s projector head, looking at him while feeling all kinds of emotions at once. He’d held on to him after all this time… it was time, he thinks, he return that favor perhaps.

“You never gave up on trying to find me, or take care of me… even if I was different, you stayed. You really were ready to accept whatever was the new reality, just to be with me... right?”

Norman nods at him, slowly but firmly, and Sammy smiles with a sigh

“I guess… I can… accept that.”

Standing up then, he offers a hand to Norman who slowly takes it and stands in front of him; his mood was unreadable, but Sammy was still smiling.

“I suppose all I have to do now is start rebuilding myself, instead of just trying to be something i’m not. I’m no prophet, and i’m not who I was before… but… I can still be Sammy, even if I  _ am _ made of ink… I guess if you can accept that… well... maybe I can too.”

Norman was positively beaming (in the literal sense as his light had turned very bright), leaning his projector head forward to gently bump Sammy’s with it; his voice sounding like he was smiling when he spoke

“You’ve  _ always  _ been  _ you _ , Sammy… you were just a little lost is all; but you’re here  _ now _ .”

Chuckling a bit, Sammy nods slightly

“Yes… and i’m glad.”

Moving in close now, Sammy looks into Norman’s lens feeling his heart swelling with warmth and love. Huffing a small laugh, he smiles once more before almost whispering

“Thank you, Norman…”

Closing his eyes then, Sammy sighs softly feeling nervous as he takes both of the projectionist’s hands, who grasps his firmly in return. Slowly, Sammy leans his head close to the front of Norman’s; he wasn’t entirely sure if it would do much, but he figured he’d try. 

Hesitating for a moment, he presses his lips to the space below Norman’s lens on the front where he figures a mouth could be. Though it was hardly much of a kiss, Sammy still felt flustered beyond belief about it... but, he was happy. And this time, he was  _ truly _ happy.

Leaning away from the projectionist now, he smiles a bit nervously with a slight shrug

“I uh… i’m sorry you don’t really have any  _ lips _ , but… I... I love you, Norman.”

Slowly, Norman tilts his head down so that his bright flickering gaze practically enveloped Sammy; it was a bit painful on his eyes, but… he felt warm in the light.

“...I love ya too, Sammy.”

Sammy was beaming himself now, however he frowns a bit feeling… odd again. This time, however, it wasn’t a  _ good _ odd. Something felt… wet.

Looking down, Sammy could see ink dripping onto his shoes from somewhere… and, he realizes, that somewhere was  _ him _ . Shaking a little now, he holds up his hands which looked like they were practically  _ melting _

“Wh… what’s happening to me?! Am I  _ Melting?! _ ”

Panicking now, Sammy can’t bring himself to move as he hears the others panicking as well; Norman tries to take hold of his hand, but his grip slides right off with the ink making Sammy feel sick. Alice steps forward, looking distraught

“He’s falling apart! If we had taken the  _ ink hearts _ I could’ve helped him, but now he’s going to turn into a  _ puddle! _ ”

Sammy was frozen, staring at his melting limbs and the ink pooling under him only able to shake horribly being unable to look away. All around him though he could hear the others yelling, starting with Norman;

“SOMEBODY HELP HIM! WE CAN’T JUST LOSE HIM LIKE THIS!”

“Well if you had just LET ME use the ink hearts-”

“DO NOT START WITH ME, YA HARPY! YOU AN’ YER DAMN FRANKENSTEININ’-”

“How DARE you! I’m TRYING to HELP-”

“Will you two quit yelling at each other?! We have BIGGER PROBLEMS right now!!”

“AHHHH SAMMY’S MELTIN’!!!”

“BENDY! NOT HELPING”

“What do we do?! I haven’t any more swollen searcher ink; I gave the last of it to our Angel-”

“Quick, someone getta MOP!”

“CHARLEY!”

“Sorry! Jeeze, tryina lighten’ the mood! Woah, wait… look at him!”

Suddenly, all of the commotion died out as the clatter of a book on the floor rang out a surprisingly commanding silence. Glancing downward, Sammy stares at his copy of ‘The Illusion of Living’ that had fallen from where he’d stored it in his Inky chest. The additional sudden quiet causes him to blink and look up as they were all staring at him. Confused and frightened, he starts frantically glancing at each of them

“W-Why are you all staring?! S-Someone say something!!”

However, they all seemed paused in some kind of awe which only made Sammy feel more confused and nervous. Then,  _ they _ started to… change? Slowly, Sammy was blinking more and more furiously as ink dripped off his face, staring as the others changed before his eyes; Boris no longer looked dead with his chest cut open, Bendy wasn’t melty nor looking like a smaller Ink demon anymore, and Henry didn’t have a halo or wings like he’d seen him with this whole time... but the others looked fairly the same. Confused, Sammy simply stares back at them as they returned the gesture.

“... why do you guys look…  _ different? _ ”

At that, Henry smiled at him with a chuckle making Sammy irritated 

“What?! Why’re you smiling??”

Henry was still grinning at him as he responds 

“I was going to say the same about  _ you _ ”

Sammy slowly looks at his hands, finding they weren’t melting anymore; they had  _ reformed _ . Each had five fingers now instead of four, which baffled him. Holding them up before himself slowly, he looks up to the others

“ _ Huh? _ ...”

Henry simply smiles at him, sighing

“We  _ might _ want to get you a shirt”

Suddenly, Bendy makes a face sticking out his tongue 

“ _ Ewww, _ naked human chest!”

Immediately, Henry gave him a dirty look

“Bendy, be  _ nice! _ ”

The little devil just giggles gleefully, prompting Sammy to look down and gasp seeing he indeed had a rather bare chest…  _ that everyone was staring at!!! _

“AUUUGH DON'T LOOK AT ME!! I’M INDECENT!”

Bendy cackles at that when Edgar sighs, adding

“I know the feeling…”

Unfortunately, that just causes Bendy to laugh even harder to the point of rolling around on the floor. Sammy still wasn’t fully understanding what was happening, looking to Norman pleadingly as he approaches him 

“Norman, what happened to me?! What do they mean I ‘look different’??”

Gently, Norman takes him by his shoulders and guides him over to a reflective window of one of the offices... that’s when Sammy gasps upon seeing his reflection. His arms were still inky, but the rest of him… he looked… normal. Almost just like his old self, only in sepia monochrome with a few… new additions.

His hands up to his upper arms were black and inky like Alice’s, but more humanoid with five fingers. His previously attached ‘shoes’ were now his actual shoes, no longer connected by congealed ink over his legs. Additionally, his face had come back ‘handsome as ever’ he thinks despite having sketch-like circles on his eyes and some ink stains dripping from them and his neck. His chin had a bit of unshaved stubble while the rest of his face was framed by his soft wavy bangs that fell into it, somewhat stained in ink as well.  _ Hair. _ He had  _ hair _ again, slicked back neatly for the most part and soft as he could remember… at least, he felt it was that way before. Though, there was a  _ new _ addition he hadn’t been expecting… a pair of rounded white horns had seemingly sprouted from his head.

While poking at them tentatively, he muses out loud;

“I… I’m…  _ me _ .”

Norman nods before gently hugging Sammy, who blushes visibly thanks to his new face which only made him blush more

“N-Norman, I’m still shirtless!!”

“You didn’t care about that before…”

“ _ Well, now I DO!! _ ”

Norman laughs from that, sighing and cuddling the flustered music director regardless 

“I can’t help it! You were cute before, but now? Now you’re just  _ darlin’” _

Sammy puffs, his face flushing darker making him yell a little

“QUIT TEASING MEEEEE!!!”

Norman laughs again, making Sammy pout, but secretly he was loving every minute of this. He was beautiful again in his own way (not just by looks), and Norman loved him… it seems, perhaps, there was hope for things after all. But…

“... _ I still want a shirt. _ ”

Snorting once more, Norman nods at him

“Alright, Alright… we’ll find ya a shirt. Just hold yer horses”

Sammy gave him an unamused look at that, able to tell Norman was being silently smug even if he didn’t have a face to show it.

“You’re being cheesy on purpose.  _ Stop that. _ ”

Norman shakes his head walking towards Henry

“Never!” 

When he reaches the old artist, Sammy can distantly hear him ask “so, about a shirt?...”

Meanwhile, Sammy was now covering his chest feeling self conscious- especially with Bendy laughing and Alice smirking at him. So much had happened so quickly it almost made him dizzy thinking about it. His thoughts were interrupted however when he’s suddenly being questioned by Henry who had somehow managed to hobble over to Sammy on his own, even if the old artist should really have been sitting down...

“Sammy, I wanted to ask you something real quick…”

Uncovering his chest, Sammy takes hold of Henry’s shoulders starting to guide him to a chair

“That’s fine and all, but you  _ really _ should sit. You’re still recovering.”

Smiling from the music director’s concern, Henry sighs

“Yeah… thanks.”

Whatever had just happened to him, Sammy wasn’t sure, but he was at least sure of one thing; things were changing just like Henry had said. Things that had never seemed possible before, but were cropping up all over the place now. Why had he ‘melted’ into this form? Why had the ink uncovered him? Why did he feel warmer (and colder without a shirt) about all of this?

Hopefully Henry was going to give him some answers in their talk to come...


	22. Zeno’s FAQ Paradox

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having newly reformed, Sammy presents Henry with a lot of new questions along with the antics of the others that need to be answered; unfortunately, each answer results in only making more questions. How did Sammy reform? How was Bendy using his abilities, and what else could he do? What happened between Norman ans Susie? It seemed no matter how many times he asked, Henry would only be met with more confusion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none
> 
> NOTE: (only one drawing his update, but it's one I made beforehand previously before my fic was done being written; i'm re-using it though because it fit the scene and helps make it easier on me as i'm not feeling all too well this time around. Thanks for your understanding and patience!
> 
> Also, for context on this chapter's name, lookup Zeno's paradox of infinite halves- where if you keep cutting something in half it can never truly reach zero!)

* * *

Having been lead over to a small wooden table with a couple chairs, Henry had sunk with strained effort into the nearest one while Sammy crossed his arms to re-cover his chest again. Sammy had insisted that he had to sit, though he apparently preferred to remain standing likely due to his embarrassment. Despite that, Henry had to figure a few things out; why had Sammy changed? Why did he mention strange things, like  _ them _ looking different? He needed to find out...

And Sammy must’ve been curious about their chat to come as he impatiently was bouncing his foot until finally asking to break the silence;

“Alright, what is it?”

Henry frowns a bit before answering

“I need to clarify a few things after what just happened… why don’t we start with what you said earlier about how  _ /we/ _ looked different… what did you mean by that?”

Sammy blinks in response, pondering at that

“Well… I don’t really know how to explain it. When the ink melted off my eyes, you just… changed.”

Henry furrows his brow, leaning forward a bit in both in curiosity and pain

“...What did you see before it did?”

Sammy stared at Henry for a moment before rubbing the back of his neck

“This might sound odd, but… you had a halo, and little angel wings before. They were all... gold and glowy? Also, your eyes were hidden under a perpetual dark shadow… it was odd. As for the others, well... Bendy looked like a miniature Ink demon, and Boris looked… dead.” 

Shaking his head, he adds

“See, I sound crazy.”

Henry still had his brow furrowed, thinking

“No… it makes sense. In fact, it makes  _ perfect _ sense.”

Sammy was the one furrowing his brow now, looking incredibly confused by that; Henry had a tendency of doing that it seemed.

“You uh… mind explaining?”

Henry blinks, sitting up a bit

“Oh- right, sorry. I was just thinking.... the ink. I think it was possibly distorting your vision? It was making you see things that weren’t real, almost as if it was  _ hiding  _ the truth… or, well... I don’t like the other explanation.”

Sammy sighs, finally flopping down into the chair across from Henry before giving him a look and leaning forward himself

“Tell me. I don’t want anymore secrets or hidden agendas.”

Frowning, Henry looks down fiddling with his hands a bit

“...well, maybe the ink was  _ showing  _ you the truth. I don’t know what kind, but… maybe it was showing you what happens, or  _ happened _ , to each of us… some details that aren’t normally visible.”

Sammy frowns at that, looking worried at the thought; Henry could tell he was thinking about it pretty hard. If the ink was showing him predictions, it made sense; Bendy looked like the Ink demon because of how he’d been made from him (something only Henry currently knew he noted), Boris looked ‘dead’ because of what Alice typically did to him, and Henry… well, he was actually at a loss for that one. He hopes, however, it wasn’t something about him that he wasn’t aware of… though knowing his luck it likely was. 

Across from him, Sammy looks down with a troubled expression, muttering half to himself, half to Henry

“That’s rather troubling… what could it mean?...”

Henry sighs and sits up, looking off to the others

“I don’t know, but I’m getting the feeling you aren’t the only one seeing things. I have to ask more questions…”

Sammy looked up then, following Henry’s gaze to Alice. 

It was curious… was her view twisted the same way? Was it different? Or was Sammy just crazy, and the only one? Henry was sure though that it was the ink, and he had a nagging idea that Alice hated how she looked because she couldn’t  _ actually  _ see what she looked like through it. Perhaps in her own eyes, she looked worse than she really did. Perhaps that had been why she’d asked her butcher gang to hide from her...

Henry’s chain of thought pauses however as the group exclaims over something in the distance, everybody chattering in surprise. Both Henry and Sammy looked a little concerned until they hear Bendy laugh; was he brandishing a button up shirt?? Where the heck had that come from? It seemed they’d get the answer soon though, as Bendy was happily skipping over to them and beaming with pride

“Lookit!! I made this just fer you, Sammy!”

Sammy stares at him for a moment in surprise but gladly takes the shirt, not hesitating to put it on

“Where?- How?- Did you just say you  _ made _ this?!”

Bendy was now beaming even more at them both 

“Yup! I just put my hand in some ink, and thought  _ real _ hard about it- then BAM! It made a shirt!!”

Henry smiles at Bendy, looking like he’d just witnessed his kid walk for the first time; He loved seeing Bendy learn more about himself, including literal ‘magic’ tricks

“Bendy, that’s  _ amazing _ !”

Bendy looked so ecstatic from the compliment Henry almost expected him to explode into confetti, but the little demon simply smiles wide as he can (which frankly, was rather unnervingly wide). Nearby, Sammy was a bit too preoccupied tucking in his shirt and rolling up its sleeves to notice; he does chime in however,

“So, does this mean you can make  _ anything _ from the ink now? Like some kind of printer?”

Bendy blinks, looking like he’s thinking about that before Henry leans in close to the little demon

“Do you think you could try making something else?”

Bendy gets a devilish look on his face then, rubbing his hands together 

“Oh,  _ can’t I? _ ”

Henry didn’t quite like the tone the devil used, and wondered if he should gain distance, but it was too late as Bendy had already summoned ink through the floor and was trying to turn it into something else. Henry watched as Sammy cringes, bracing himself for the worst.

Slowly, the ink began to form the shape of a striker which made both Henry and Sammy worried; why in their Hell was he summoning  _ that? _ Of course however, Henry thinks about how it was rather chaotic and stupid, which made sense. Before either of them could tell him to stop, a striker popped out of the ink; but, it wasn’t just any striker…

“W-w-what in the blazes of my holy angel just happened??”

Bendy stares for a moment then, before he face palms with a resounding ‘SMACK’ that visibly made action lines appear for a second

“Aw  _ man, _ I can’t  _ make _ stuff… I just summon it from other parts of the studio!”

Behind them, the group of others were all just as boggled and disgruntled as they’d probably witnessed poor Edgar get sucked into the floor without warning, then spat back out.

Sammy makes a face at that, and Henry slowly starts to wonder where the shirt he was now wearing had come from… he hoped it wasn’t off of someone else. Knowing their run of luck, it likely was- but… who would it had come off of?? That, he thinks, is what worried him most.

“Let’s uh, not try doing that again for now… I don’t want to have you accidentally pulling the Ink demon out of the floor.”

Bendy makes a face at that, while Edgar shakes off his disorientation next to him before looking at Sammy’s shirt

“Well, do we  _ have  _ to so soon? Perhaps you could help summon  _ me _ something to wear?...”

Bendy snorts at that, shaking his head

“Sorry, eight legs; Henry says no!”

Henry sighs, knowing he was only obeying to taunt the poor striker who now looked disappointed and sadly embarrassed. Despite the silliness, Henry was still focused on his many questions he wanted answers for; frankly, he wanted to know what Alice was seeing still. Also, what did the vision of him mean? How did Sammy change like this? And where did that shirt come from?? Though, the biggest question he  _ should _ be asking was where was the Ink demon  _ now _ ?

Deciding to take it one at a time, he picks one he could hopefully answer at the moment;

“Sammy… do you have any clue as to how you became less, well, inky? I’ve never seen this before in all my time here…”

Sammy unfortunately looked as baffled as he did, sighing and looking at his hands again slowly waving his newfound set of five fingers each

“I… I don’t know. This whole time I just felt  _ trapped _ . Trapped and cold inside a horrible body that didn’t belong to me that I wanted to escape… it was  _ miserable _ . But… well, I’ve slowly been thinking about what it means to  _ be _ this.”

He looks to Henry, seeming confused but sincere with his words

“Norman made me realize that… well, I might be a lump of ink, but it doesn’t mean i’m not  _ me _ . That maybe I shouldn’t have to focus on  _ escaping _ this body… but rather, learn to accept it somewhat. It made me feel all warm… I thought that was just sappy emotions, but then I started melting…”

Henry silently stared at him in awe for a moment, because a thought had struck him… there’s no way… could it be what he was thinking? Could it be that he’d been  _ healed _ by something? By a force he thought only he really possessed in a place like this still, after all this time?

“Sammy… It sounds like you found  _ hope _ . I think… I think  _ hope _ healed you”

Looking somewhat stricken by that, Sammy stares in silence before giving a small chuff with a tiny smile of disbelief at him

“Hope?? You think Hope made me… better? I find it hard to believe I have any at all, but… well… now that you mention it, maybe…”

He ponders quietly muttering under his breath before sighing

“Maybe… maybe it is hope?... Maybe Norman gave me hope…”

Henry smiled at that before sighing contently through his nose

“Well… maybe there’s hope for the rest of us too, then.”

The thought gave him an idea to try… perhaps if it helped Sammy, it could help the others- especially those who could really use it, like Alice. Before he can even think about trying to limp his way to her though, Henry feels a hand grasp his forearm from across the table. Confused, Henry looks up and is met with an intense stare from Sammy- it was a lot more unnerving now that he actually had eyes.

“Before you leave, you asked me a lot of questions... now I have some for  _ you _ .”

Staying put in his chair now, Henry raises an eyebrow

“A..Alright… what?”

Sammy releases his forearm, leaning back as he still stares intently into Henry’s eyes

“When the Ink demon had us all in his grasp, you and Bendy spoke to him… and it sounded like you were  _ responding _ to him. Can you hear him speaking or something?”

Henry was the one staring now; he’d never even considered that the others might not be able to hear the Ink demon speak. He’d merely accepted it as fact.

“I… I didn’t realize you couldn’t. Yes, he speaks to us and we can hear him.”

Sammy looked baffled at that, moving a hand to run through his slightly wavy hair that cascaded partially into his face; It made Henry briefly recall all the others calling him handsome all the time in recordings. Distracted, he almost doesn’t hear Sammy speak again;

“You mean to tell me… that you can  _ hear _ him / _ speak _ / _? _ And that the Ink demon  _ /speaks/? _ The only time i’d ever heard what he was thinking was that time I think I accidentally ended up in his  _ head _ ...”

Henry looks shocked then, leaning forward

“You _ what?? _ ”

Sammy waves a hand making a disgruntled expression

“He pulled me into his mind through the Bendy mask, it’s not important; I just… didn’t think anyone could hear him speak? What does he  _ sound _ like? When I was in his head, it just sounded like my own thoughts…”

Henry wanted to interrogate him about the whole mask thing, but he simply sighs and leans back again

“His voice is… unworldly. It…”

Henry stares at the grains of the wood table, recalling the many times the Ink demon’s voice had made him freeze, get chills, want to cry, and run away.

“...it sounds like something you’d run from.”

Bendy snorted next to him then, surprising Henry how had forgotten he was still there; from what it looked like, he had been chatting with Edgar who was apparently surprised by the snort

“Yeah, he sounds like a real demon! ‘Cause he is one. Messed up son of a-”

Henry rolls his eyes at that, turning back to Sammy again

“It’s just difficult to describe, but I can try. Imagine… Bendy’s voice. Now, imagine it layered with another version that’s higher pitched to the point it’s almost painful, and another that’s so low and growly it doesn’t even sound like a voice. Then, take all three of those, mix them at varying volumes that change and echo horribly, and in the center is something else you can almost make out of the rest but it’s too quiet and whispery. It’s like hearing several corrupted film reels playing at once, with only one of them working but it’s drowned out.”

Sammy looked rather absorbed in Henry’s description, but he wasn’t sure why he was so interested. Then, Sammy folds his hands together, giving Henry another intense look

“So, I guess I never really  _ have _ heard his voice then… but that doesn’t make sense. In all my prophetic visions, he sounded different than that..”

Blinking then, Sammy sighs heavily before ruffling his hair again; Henry thinks how that must be a frustrated habit of his.

“No, it was probably me hallucinating if anything; I thought I heard the voice of ‘the lord’ talking to me before all of this. I just wanted to clarify…”

Henry was curious about that, ignoring Bendy who was trying to obnoxiously get his attention by staring with big eyes and a creepy smile. Eventually, Henry just pushes him away by his face hearing an ‘oof’ in the process

“I don’t know about hallucinations, but… maybe it could’ve been someone else in the ink? I don’t know… what did the voice tell you?”

Sammy shrugs, fiddling with his bangs now

“The usual stuff a mindless cult leader would; stuff about rituals, what to do, where to put cutouts, prayers to sing and chant, even where to put candles and altars... Weird stuff like that. Oddly enough, it always seemed familiar somehow…”

Henry makes a face, a little uncomfortable from that; he didn’t have an answer for Sammy, and he didn’t quite like the idea of a voice telling Sammy to do things. In this place, there was usually always someone behind a voice. Sighing, Henry looks to Sammy then

“Well, I suppose it’s nothing we should worry over for now… if anything, we’ve got bigger issues on our hands-”

Just then, a bout of shouting and scuffling makes Henry flinch, the loud sound catching the attention of him, Sammy, Bendy, and Edgar who look over to see Norman fighting to yank Alice away from a swollen searcher. It had apparently popped up with a few mining searchers that usually helped the lost ones dig and build, and currently was terrified as she was flailing a syringe at it; Norman wasn’t helping by screeching angrily and fighting to pull her away.

Henry tries to get up, but burning pain shoots through his shoulder and chest making him wheeze and nearly collapse. The pain forces him to promptly sit back down and get Bendy to fret over him

“Henry, let us handle it!! Ya can’t just rush yerself like that right now!”

Nodding a bit just trying to catch his breath, Henry watches Sammy bolt over to help Norman pull Alice away from the searcher. Edgar frowns, looking conflicted about it; Henry thinks how he probably wanted to help Alice, but didn’t want to hurt the searcher when everyone else was against it.

“Let GO OF ME! I NEEEED IT! I NEED ITS INSIDES!!!”

Boris nearby whines from nearby, scampering off to hide which Henry felt was rather reasonable. Norman meanwhile suddenly lifts Alice straight off her feet, and more yelling ensued;

“YER NOT KILLIN’ ANYMORE FOR YER SICK UPKEEP!”

Alice practically screams when Norman holds her up, kicking him repeatedly and violently. Wishing he could do something, Henry merely watches Sammy trying to calm down the situation instead

“CAN EVERYONE JUST  _ PLEASE  _ CALM DOWN _?! _ ”

“MAKE HIM LET ME GO! ARRGH- GET YOUR FILTHY MITTS OFF ME!!”

“YER THE ONE WITH DIRTY HANDS COVERED IN BLOOD FROM  _ MURDER _ ”

Henry was starting to get a headache, watching now as Bendy quickly shooed the searchers away and Alice’s butcher gang scrambled in a circle around Norman who drops her. Had the gang not been there, she would have hit the floor, and she seemed to notice as she yells again

“YOU- YOU  _ HEATHEN! _ YOU WERE GOING TO DROP ME ON THE FLOOR AFTER MANHANDLING ME?!”

“YEAH, ‘CAUSE TOUCHIN’ HOT GARBAGE BURNS”

Before the two can start physically fighting, Sammy shouts between them commanding everyone’s attention and cutting the spat short;

“EEEEEEEENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU ARE ACTING LIKE  _ CHILDREN! _ ”

At that, the two went silent but continued glowering hatefully at one another. Frowning, Henry wishes they didn’t conflict so much; it made him worry their group would split up or fall apart if it got bad enough. There had to be  _ some _ way to try and reconcile the two... perhaps if they both shared their side of what happened to start the feud, they could figure things out?

Forcing himself up and out of his chair successfully this time, Henry slowly limps his way over to the others who became quieter as he approached. Norman huffs, about to walk away when Henry quickly calls out;

“Wait! Don’t go. There’s something we need to do…”

Bendy puffs at Henry, looking grouchy

“Yeah,  _ you _ need ta lay back down an’ rest!”

Sighing, Henry waves a hand

“I know, I know; but I want to fix  _ this _ first. You guys fighting so much isn’t good, and only going to get someone hurt. Instead, I think I can help… I have an idea.”

Alice puffs, pushing part of her melting face back up; she wasn’t looking too well, like the others had mentioned.

“If you think you can get me to get along with that… that wretched  _ creep _ , then you’ll have to  _ really _ impress me!”

Norman snorts through his speaker, angling the glare of his lens at her

“Yeah, you’d have ta impress me too t’ wanna be friends with that messed up  _ harpy _ ”

“ _ WHY YOU LITTLE- _ ”

“ALRIGHT! I’ll impress both of you, or something! Just… give me a chance, okay?! A-and preferably, a chair…”

Bendy scrambles to get Henry a chair, who gladly sits down when it’s retrieved; he was moments from collapsing. Now looking up at Alice and Norman, he could see they were both still being silently angry with one another

“Do you both even know  _ why _ you’re mad at each other?...”

Norman huffs angrily first

“Of course! She’s outta her mind, crooked, an’ I showed ya what she  _ did _ ”

Henry frowns, about to speak when Alice cuts in

“You say  _ i’m _ crazy and a murderer, but you’ve killed JUST as many butcher gang copies if not  _ more! _ Whatever you’re  _ actually _ mad about, I don’t even know! You keep getting set off by something I don’t even  _ remember! _ ”

Henry interjects then, pointing a finger

“There! You see? Norman, she doesn’t even know  _ why _ you’re mad; and Alice, you need to let him  _ tell  _ you why. Maybe if you just talk it through you can resolve some of this.”

Norman slowly turns to look at Alice before snorting again, his projector head bobbing with the sound

“Resolve? Yeah, that’d be  _ rich _ .”

Giving him a dirty look, Alice crosses her arms

“Oh, will you just  _ tell _ me already?! What could I have  _ possibly _ done to spite you so badly?!”

“I don’t have to tells ya… i’ll  _ show _ ya.”

Turning to the nearest wall then, Norman’s projector starts to focus and flicker a bit less as he accesses his memory to play for them. Henry notices that Bendy, the butcher gang, and some miscellaneous lost ones and searchers were drawing up an audience. On the wall, the memory Norman had shown him and Sammy that while ago when they’d first encountered one another plays from his point of view…


	23. Down Once More into the Ink Abyss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A memory of the past, Norman stays too late after dark in the studio and feels an ominous calling that lures him to investigate the secrets of what's going on behind closed doors. As he delves deeper however, he finds himself stumbling upon horrors he'd never have dreamed possible- even in his nightmares. Unable to escape, his meets a grim fate and is turned into the inky monster simply known as 'the projectionist'...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: injury, violence, drowning, suffocation, death implied, emetophobia warning, choking, mild body horror
> 
> (Towards the end this chapter gets a little gruesome compared to the others, just as a fair warning!)

* * *

Sighing, the projectionist was tired and feeling rather bored from having been working with reels late into the evening and doing little else. He’d lost time as a result, and now it was past normal hours and most everyone had gone home. Currently, he was in his small booth in his chair leaning back with his feet propped up on the small half-wall. The projector nearby was clicking away as it played yet another reel, the sound almost lulling him as it was familiar and relaxing.

What wasn’t relaxing however was that the studio took on a whole different atmosphere at this hour; everything seemed to be… unfriendly. Norman felt that when the lights went out and the place was empty there was something evil going on. Whispering, moving shadows, and a perpetual uneasy feeling that something wasn’t right. Worst of all, Norman sometimes felt as if he could hear a  _ heartbeat _ in the walls... he wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he certainly didn’t like it.

Things had been especially abnormal as of late with all of the disappearances; he didn’t know if it was employees getting fired, but there was word they were still around. Norman definitely hadn’t seen them around despite seeing their names on the scheduling… it almost seemed as if they weren’t clocking out at all. 

Normally, he wouldn’t have thought much about it because he didn’t pay much attention to the buzz of studio activity, but Sammy was one of them. Ever since the music director had up and vanished Norman had become both worried and hurt; why hadn’t he said anything? Why did he just leave after all the time he’d spent trying to stay? He thought after the connection they’d made with one another… well, perhaps he’d misjudged what was between them. Either way, he was always trying to keep an eye out for the music director, but could never see him these days despite music still being made. He admitted to himself though, the last he’d seen of Sammy he’d been more peculiar than normal; all this rambling and talk about black magic that was weird even for him.

Feeling tired of the confusion and emotional thoughts, Norman drops the chair back to its feet and turns off the projector finally deciding it was far past time for him to be heading home. Getting up with a grunt, he tosses the reels into a small box nearby leaving them for tomorrow to head off when he pauses; he could have sworn he’d just heard something from below. Leaning over the half-wall a little, Norman squints into the darkness listening.

For what feels like ages, the room makes no noise, and he’s about to give up when he hears it again: an echoing hum, so quiet he’d almost missed it entirely the first time. Frowning, Norman feels suddenly unnerved and rather unsafe now more than ever; he was ready to leave. Unfortunately, he was also an incredibly nosy and curious person… being a projectionist that often snooped and watched from the dark, he wanted to know where it was coming from. This studio was hiding more and more from him, and he wanted  _ answers _ .

Quietly now, Norman slips away from his projection booth and starts to follow the humming, but he had to stop now and again to redirect himself as it was so quiet his footsteps overpowered it. Slowly, he found himself sneaking around halls in the music department he didn’t recognize at all; they were unfamiliar, incredibly dark, and Norman’s paranoia had him feeling like he was being watched again. To be fair, the posters and cutouts didn’t help much with that either.

About to turn down another hall that he could see a dim glow coming from, Norman hears footsteps and voices around the corner. Feeling he’d likely be in trouble if caught back here, Norman follows his instincts and hides himself in the nearest office behind its door. Holding his breath, he listens as the footsteps drew nearer and turn the corner, passing him. He catches a few phrases of some conversation:

“...he’s being ridiculous! Why do we have to always have the  _ exact _ same number of candles and cutouts each time?? What difference does it make?”

“You know how he feels about his ‘process’. If it isn’t perfect each time, then he’s not satisfied. Not that we’ve produced  _ anything _ satisfying so far…”

Norman strains trying to hear more, but they were almost whispering and had moved away rather quickly. Exhaling slowly, he decides to continue snooping; something was  _ clearly _ going on, and he wanted to know  _ what _ . Quietly moving out from his hiding spot, Norman sneaks over to the corner leading to the other hall again and presses himself flat to the wall, peering slowly around it. Down the hall there were many darkened rooms, but at the very end of it was a slightly bigger set of double doors that had some kind of… flickering dim light coming from them. Candlelight, he presumed.

Whatever was going on in there, he was dying to know; unfortunately, he could hear the previous voices from earlier already returning making him rush back to his original hiding spot to wait it out again. Feeling his heart beating, Norman tries to stay calm as they pass by once more:

“...and how many more will we have to sacrifice?? It seems like it’s getting pointless to try, nothing’s changed!”

“Careful, you’re talking blasphemy! The machine works in strange ways, and our lord does too… we just have to keep trying. If we don’t, well… remember how Joey warned us that we  _ have _ to appease the demon.”

As they walked away, Norman was full of so many more questions he wanted answers to; were they talking about the ink machine? And why were they talking like some… weird religious cult? He didn't understand, but he hopes if he can just  _ see _ into that room he’ll figure it out.

Waiting until he hears the sound of the double doors opening and shutting, Norman finally slides from his hiding spot when he catches the drifting humming again. Wherever it was, it was getting closer and he was getting impatient.

Carefully watching each step as he makes his way down the hall, Norman’s heart starts to beat harder the closer he gets. Curiosity was burning his mind, but he also felt almost sick with fear- or maybe that was just adrenaline. Either way, he was quickly approaching the doors that hopefully held the answer he was looking for. 

However, a wet squelch under his shoe causes the projectionist to freeze mid-step as his gut sank. Looking down, he realizes he’d stepped in ink… except it wasn’t just the typical puddle from a leak- this ink… was shaped like foot steps? Feeling a bit worried by this, Norman steps aside shaking his shoe off aggressively before looking back to the doors; what the hell was going on here??

Slowly, Norman moves closer until he presses himself to the door and simply listens through it at first; there were multiple many voices on the other side, and they sounded like they were… chanting? Furrowing his brow, Norman listens closer to try and hear the words- but what he does hear makes his skin  _ crawl _

_ “Bendy, oh Lord of mine, _

_ Witness as we bring to you, _

_ Fresh blood and soul, _

_ Another one to feed the machine! _

_ Oh blessed is he, _

_ Our savior who will set us free, _

_ Blessed is he, _

_ Lord Bendy of the ink machine!” _

Norman can’t help himself as he whispers out loud:

“ _ What in the damned Hell?... _ ”

Quickly covering his mouth, he tenses and holds his breath listening for any sign of being heard; within the room, everthing had fallen silent which worried him. Moving to peer in, he checks to see if they were looking his way... but instead what he sees shocks away any thought of worry instead. Within the room was the most satanic scene he’d ever witnessed:

Candles covered almost any surface that wasn’t occupied by imagery of Bendy forming a sort of circular shape in the otherwise wide rectangular room. A rather concerning amount of people were shrouded in black and dripping ink, bowed in some kind of prayer around the center which they’d left clear; this was because some strange symbolic circle had been scrawled in ink on the floor. In the middle of the circle standing on a chair seemed to be their leader, as he had some book on a music stand in front of him, and he was whispering something Norman couldn’t hear. Whoever he was, he was also shrouded in black with what seemed to be a cutout turned into a mask that rather pointlessly only had the mouth carved away instead of the eyes.

Norman watches in a cold sweat as the leader slowly lifts his head then, the masks’ eyes feeling as if they were burning into him. What truly set him off however was when he spoke clearly in a voice that made Norman’s chest tighten with painful realization; a voice he knew anywhere, and even had yearned to hear until now:

“Ah… it seems we have an uninvited  _ guest _ tonight. Perhaps you’d like to join us in prayer… _ Projectionist? _ ”

Frozen with horror, Norman slowly came to realize that the ‘leader’ wasn’t cloaked in black; in fact, none of them were. As a multitude of glowing, hollow eyes turn on him, he sickeningly realizes they were all  _ /made/ of ink _ . He’s snapped out of his panic however when the familiar voice echoes in a cold, heartless laugh from behind the mask speaking once more:

“No need to be shy, now! Word has it you were looking for me anyways! Always so nosy, pushing into business where you don’t belong…”

Raising and holding out his arms in a grand gesture, his command with it was rather simple:

“Get him.”

With that, Norman doesn’t hesitate to see what happened next; instead, he takes off running as fast as he possibly can. His mind was reeling like an unwinding projector, disbelief and shock making him numb as he pushes far past his usual physical ability. What the hell had he just  _ witnessed? _ What the hell happened to all those people made of  _ ink? _ But worst of it all, the one thing that kept repeating in his mind; what the hell was that thing that  _ had Sammy’s voice? _

The whole situation was quickly taking a turn for unreality, and Norman was finding it hard to believe he was even awake right now- but the pain burning his lungs and legs kept him grounded. Behind him, he could hear shouting and clattering as the crowd he’d snooped on wasn’t far now. He couldn’t run forever. He had to hide.

Looking around wildly, Norman finds he’d run all the way to the toy shop; had he really been paying so little attention he managed to only get  _ further _ from the exit?? Silently cursing himself, he runs up the stairs and risks a glance behind him- the twisted ink cultists were closing in on him. Had he really been so easy to follow too?? Glancing down, Norman curses himself a second time realizing that the ink he’d stepped in earlier was leaving tracks leading  _ right to him _ . 

Looking for something,  _ anything  _ that might help him now, his attention turns to the toy shelves... maybe he could get behind them? Unfortunately though, at this hour the toy machine was powered down and he didn’t have the time to fiddle with turning it back on. Instead, in his adrenaline fueled panic Norman grasps the shelf hanging before the door and lifts it straight off its track causing toys to cascade and bounce off him and the floor with a few sad squeaks. Moving into the next room, he quickly slams it back onto the track just barely stopping several many of the twisted inky cultists who were all staring in startled confusion.

Breathing heavily, Norman could tell he’d pushed himself too far and likely torn quite a few things with the way his muscles were lancing with pain worse than ever. Currently though, he couldn’t bring himself to care much as behind the shelf he could hear the angry voice he longed to be on his own side again:

“No, no, NO! Damn it ALL! He’s in  _ her _ domain now!” 

Slowly, the disturbing hollow glowing eyes on the other side all stare into Norman who felt like they were burning his own eyes until they turned away, their leader with the mask grasping onto the now swinging toy shelf. He was almost animalistic with the way he began trying to reach through it, startling Norman.

Backing away he feels exhaustion and pain starting to weigh him down; what the hell was happening to him?! What the hell happened to the  _ studio?! _

“P-please… leave me  _ alone _ .”

The strange leader stops his wild clawing through the shelves, moving so the masks creepy eyes bore into Norman’s again. Feeling his nerves fraying a little, he partially wished to shove the man he thought he knew away. However, his words caught Norman off guard;

“ _ Please!  _ You have to come out of there NOW! If you don’t, she’ll  _ get _ you! Come with  _ me-  _ I can keep you  _ safe _ !”

Begging was the last thing he’d expected, and it made his heart ache- especially when it sounded so much like him… but he couldn’t fall for it now.

“N-no. How do I know you’re not tryina use my emotions against me?! How can I trust…  _ whatever _ you are?!”

Distraught, the man’s voice makes Norman almost want to run over and comfort him; damn it all, why did he sound so much like him?!

“ _ Please. _ You just HAVE to believe me! I-I can keep you alive! Please, I don’t want them to get you! I don’t want to lose you...”

Shaking his head, Norman backs away from the shelf as the strange figure keeps begging for him to leave the room becoming more desperate the further he moves away. Soon, he finds his back bumping up against what feels like a window (hard to tell in the dark) only for something else to suddenly slam shut causing the light from the toy room to disappear. Behind the newfound darkness of the sealed doorway, Norman could hear a heartbreaking cry of despair followed by banging...

Ignoring it with difficulty and trying to catch his breath, Norman attempts to calm down when some PA system crackles on in the almost pitch black room- another familiar voice that he suddenly had a burning loathing for was speaking to him

“Well well, our very own projectionist finally wandered a little  _ too _ far after dark… Listen, I always appreciate a hard worker willing to stay late, but now? Well, I suppose unfortunately for you, Norman Polk, I can’t let you  _ leave. _ ”

“Joey Drew, what the HELL did ya do to this studio?! W-w-what in the livin’ HELL were those  _ things?! _ And what the ever livin’ HELL didja do ta SAMMY?!”

“Now now, there’s no need to raise your  _ voice _ ; it’s rather unprofessional!”

“I’M NOT PLAYIN’ YER DAMN GAMES, DREW!”

“Temper temper! You know, I’ve read explosive anger is rather unhealthy for a good work ethic!”

Seething with fury, Norman takes a step feeling like ripping the speakers from the wall but a burning pain causes him to stumble back into the glass window to lean on instead. His adrenaline was wearing off proving to him just how badly he’d pushed his body past safe limits- his injuries were going to be extensive. Breathing heavily from his fatigue, he glares upwards now

“ANSWER ME! WHAT. DID. YOU. DO?!”

For a moment there was nothing but silence, and Norman could feel his arm he was holding was wet; he was probably bleeding, unsurprisingly. Then, Joey spoke with an icy calm full of nothing but venom... Norman could tell.

“I followed my dreams… and will  _ continue _ making progress towards them. Unfortunately, if you leave now, that would be  _ quite _ the problem… so instead, I’ll have to leave you to the lovely angel who will help you…  _ settle in. _ ”

Wishing he could strangle Joey for his nonsense words and lack of answers, Norman braces himself to try and move again when he freezes; the humming he’d heard from his booth earlier was now echoing powerfully loud… directly behind him. He suddenly recognized the song which made his heart ache as it was one Sammy had rather charmingly and coyishly shared with him on many occasions... it was Alice’s love song.

A loud snap of a spotlight turning on causes Norman to flinch and turn, seeing the room behind the glass he was leaning on now illuminated. Nervous, he ignores his pain and exhaustion to back away and stare at the empty stage-like room that was completely Alice Angel themed. What the hell  _ was _ this room?? He’d never seen it before in all his time he’d spent working here… meaning, it must’ve been new. 

Slowly, he realizes that the humming had stopped. Looking all around the dark room he was in, he felt rather unsafe.

“Wh-Who the Hell is there?! Show yourself!”

A dark chuckle suddenly echoes from behind the glass in the stage room, and Norman turns his attention back to it disliking the situation more and more. Whatever Joey had planned for him, he knew it was likely going to end with blood on someone’s hands. Norman hoped that it would be his own when he got a hold of Joey.

“I ain’t playin’ games!”

Slowly, the door to the stage room creaks open revealing yet another terribly twisted figure that seemed too unreal to exist. Smiling with a half deformed face, what looked to be Alice Angel herself had approached the glass and was rather smugly eyeing the projectionist.

“So… you’ve decided to force your way through Heaven’s gate, have you? Didn’t anyone tell you that’s no way to walk with angels?...”

Staring, Norman felt cold yet again as he recognized the voice; damn, did he wish he wasn’t so good at remembering in that moment.

“...Susie? What did Joey do to ya?...”

Suddenly, the calm and smug demeanor of the angel melts away replaced with violent anger as she slams to the glass.

“DON’T SPEAK THAT NAME! There’s no such person ANYMORE! I’m ALICE now! ALICE ANGEL!”

Stumbling backward and falling, Norman stares in horror as the ‘angel’ screams her fury. Yup, it was  _ definitely _ Susie; and he had to try and calm her down.

“Fine, fine! You’re Alice! But what in the hell happened to ya?! Ya look like some- some melted  _ doll _ .”

Narrowing her eyes, ‘Alice’ glowers at him silently before speaking again in a tone dripping with fury

“You think… I look... imperfect? That  _ I _ look bad?...”

In a flash, her entire mood changed again as she throws her head back in a chaotic cackle before she sighs and runs her hands through her hair, smiling rather devilishly for an angel.

“From where i’m standing, you look so much  _ worse _ … poor thing! Poor, poor Norman… how would you like to become  _ beautiful? _ ”

Making a face now, Norman sits up holding his side in pain; it was almost agony to move, but he was trying to ignore it.

“If by beautiful ya mean a twisted, ugly ink creature… i’ll pass.”

Staring at him, ‘Alice’ had become almost unreadable before she yells angrily again slamming the glass so hard it cracks and Norman flinches again.

“UGLY?! IF YOU WANT UGLY… I’LL  _ SHOW _ YOU  _ UGLY! _ IF I CAN’T BE BEAUTIFUL…  _ NOBODY _ CAN!”

Rightfully terrified, Norman tries to stand but his legs fail him and he gasps out loud in pain as he falls back to the floor. Without warning, the room is plunged back into pitch darkness and Norman can’t tell where the deranged Susie had gone off to; whatever had gotten into her, she was clearly not okay. In fact, he was actually  _ worried _ for her; her and Sammy, whatever had happened to them. 

Trying to drag himself back to the shelf he’d moved to enter from, he found some metal blast door had slammed shut in front of it. When the  _ hell _ had they installed  _ those?!  _ Grunting in the darkness, Norman becomes keenly aware that he wasn’t alone. That’s when the pipe hits him in the head, and he blacks out.

-

Drearily coming back to half consciousness, Norman felt as if he were floating out of his own body... however, he soon realizes that was because he was on an elevator. Unable to move, he finds himself completely immobilized by what he figured was a concussion as he felt numb and slowed down both physically and mentally. What was happening? Where was he, and where was he  _ heading _ to? Frowning a little, he felt as if ages were passing in his blurry vision when the elevator finally slowed to a stop. The moment the doors rattle open, Norman gets partially broken from the stupor when horrible pain rips through his body yet again; he was being yanked by his already torn arm, causing him to yell loudly.

Grasping for his arm desperately, he could barely get a grip on it and cries out again in pain; it felt almost as if it was about to rip off. Soon however, he’s shoved against a guardrail of some landing for a few staircases, the pain making him want to get sick; the added concussion and fear were also becoming too much. Looking through the bars of the wooden railing, he sees what looked like a massive abyss of a room flooded with ink. Confused, he hears that terrible chuckling again from Susie nearby

“Take a good  _ long _ look... this is going to be your new home  _ very _ soon…”

Weakly, Norman finds himself pleading for mercy

“Please… don’t have to… do this. It hurts…”

Looking unfazed, Susie sneers down at him

“You won’t be crying much anymore…  _ trust _ me; it’ll  _ all _ be over for you soon… You’ll be  _ reborn _ , and more beautiful than ever! Just like me...”

Not liking the implication, he tries to protest again, but when he opens his mouth to speak his words are promptly replaced with another cry of pain as he’s yanked from the railing. Weakly trying to kick his legs, Norman can’t stop as he’s dragged forcefully to the stairs.

For a brief moment, he’s released and starts to catch his breath before looking up to the hateful face of the ‘angel’. Suddenly, Norman feels the blunt force of a kick wind him as he was now clambering down the stairs in chaos. Splashing into the ink, he tries to shove himself up gasping for air when a pair of hands grip his head painfully.

“IF I CAN’T BE PERFECT, THEN NEITHER CAN  _ YOU!  _ NO ONE CAN! _ ” _

Trying to scream now, Norman instead finds his face is forced under the ink choking on it some before he tries to hold his breath. Still concussed and in pain, he was starting to become overwhelmed; he fearfully realizes he wouldn’t be able to hold forever. Sammy was right… he should’ve never come to this place- he should’ve gone back. He could only mourn and regret his decision while getting pulled back, inhaling deeply to try and scream again only to get shoved back down receiving a mouthful of ink making him choke.

Unfortunately, that moment was his last; trying to cough and breathe, Norman’s lungs were quickly being filled with toxic ink. Struggling as hard as his already waning strength allowed, he soon was finding it harder and harder to resist. Starting to go slack, Norman began to see a collage of memories with Sammy light up his vision causing a whole different pain in the moment. The first time they’d met, the many moments of bickering, the first time they’d held hands, the evolution of their relationship, up to the confession… then it was gone. And solemnly, Norman thinks how it would be gone forever.

With one last weak cry lost to the ink, Norman’s vision faded as he sank into darkness…

-

Blearily, he felt as if his lungs were burning and full of fluid making him wheeze hack and cough hard- but without much relief. It hurt. He felt heavy… very heavy.

Struggling in an attempt to move, he felt as if he were being held up by chains that were dripping wet and cold over what sounded like a pool of something. He couldn’t see at all, only able to hear and feel… and it was cold and dark. Very cold and dark.

Struggling again, one of his hands weakly reached until he grasped something that was holding him aloft, once more coughing and retching in an attempt to clear his lungs that couldn’t be cleared. It… it wasn’t a chain at all. In fact, he could feel multitudes upon multitudes of  _ wires _ were holding him up. What the hell was happening?? What was being  _ done to him?! _

Wishing he could see, Norman opens his mouth… only to realize he  _ has no mouth _ . His face… where was his face?! He couldn’t feel his nose, mouth, or eyes at all- He couldn’t see, he couldn’t speak, he  _ couldn’t breathe!  _ All he could do was hear and feel, but it wasn’t enough when he needed to know what was  _ happening _ !

Panicking now, he starts to shake around violently and pull on the wires holding him up to free himself- but to no avail. His limbs still burned, but there was something else going on with them… they didn’t feel right either. Focusing on them, he realized there was some odd wraps around his arms and left leg that were bulky… were they some kind of bandages?

Confused and horrified by it all, he slows down as he hears something else… footsteps approaching. Who could possibly be coming to him now? What were they going to do to him?

As they drew near, Norman listened intensely trying to ignore his feeling of choking as voices spoke that he instantly recognized and felt a  _ burning _ hatred for…

“...Miss angel, I do wish you’d left our projectionist just a  _ tad _ more intact than you did… The poor man has no face! How can he possibly do his job without sight?”

Joey. Of course he was in on this. As for said angel…

“Mister Drew, it’s not  _ my _ fault he was so perilously unstable with the ink… he hurt himself before even reaching me, then fought it too much! It simply melted off his face!”

Norman would’ve been angrier if he wasn’t feeling so sickened and dizzy by their words. Why was this happening to him? Why did he have to snoop one more time and finally be caught? Why couldn’t he just have gone home?...

A third voice suddenly spoke up then, one he longed for…

“Mister  _ Drew _ …  _ /I/ _ could’ve handled him! I could’ve helped him more properly than this cruel  _ angel _ could have. Now we have to clean up her mess; already I had to use the ink to pull his limbs back together...”

Lurching forward wishing he could make any sort of response, Norman’s heart ached as Sammy was speaking; he knew it was him. 

His movements seemed to have startled the others as the wires all shifted causing other things he couldn’t see to clank and jangle. Sighing, Joey spoke again

“That we do need to sort out… Thankfully, I have a few things we can try! First of all, speech…”

Unsure of what was happening, Norman could hear the footsteps drawing closer- but they seemed to splash in the process. Was there a pool below him like he’d guessed? Who was approaching him… and why??

Suddenly, Sammy’s voice was much closer to him and became surprisingly… soothing.

“Shh.. it’s me, Norman- it’s Sammy. I’m going to help you, alright? Just don’t move… it’s going to be uncomfortable. I’m sorry…”

Wanting to shout and beg for answers so he could understand, Norman struggled some before feeling hands grasp and steady him that were notably far too large are sturdy to be Sammy’s… had someone else approached him too? Giving in as he was already exhausted, Norman went still as requested before feeling something press against his chest… what were they doing now?

The next part made him want to scream as something like tubing- no, wiring- began to be wrapped around him then  _ woven into his body _ . The feeling was sickening and horrible, making him gag and retch again to no avail as he still had no mouth. Within moments, something had been  _ attached _ to his body on the front- and he had no idea what it was.

With another splash, he figured Sammy had stepped back as he exclaimed;

“There; it’s installed. Now, for his face?...”

Joey sounded like he was smirking as he responded

“Oh, I have an idea for that… miss angel?”

“Of course, Mister Drew…”

Norman could hear a clank of something being handed between them before more footsteps jumbled around leaving Norman clueless about who was standing where anymore. Wanting to groan, he still couldn’t… whatever they were doing to him was going to continue being unpleasant. Though, at least Sammy’s voice was a small solace…

“Norman I truly  _ am _ sorry… I never wanted this for you… but now, the lord will heal you through the ink- you just have to believe…”

The mystery fourth person who hadn’t spoken once again was grasping him, but this time Norman wasn’t going to let them simply  _ wire _ him anymore. Struggling violently, he tries with all his might to yell and fight back causing himself to swing and sway in the inky darkness angrily. The others all sounded startled and fearful, but the fourth person finally spoke sounding gruff and angry- a voice Norman wasn’t actually too familiar with, but he could take a guess…

“That’s  _ enough _ ! I’m trying to help you, damn it! I know this ain’t a luxury situation, but I’m tryin’a make this somewhat right- and that’s gonna be hard with you struggling all over the place potentially hurting you more. I’m an engineer, not a doctor for god’s sake!”

Going quieter, Norman still felt aggressive but he had wasted all his energy again… the man trying to help him he figured was the gent fellow Joey had hired a while back. He didn’t know him well, but at least he sounded somewhat respectable…

Sighing, Sammy spoke again;

“Norman, please… just a little bit more then you’ll be able to get down, okay? Just be patient…”

Norman didn’t want to listen to them, but he didn’t have much choice. Without warning, the others all grabbed and held him steady against his will as something began to be shoved over his head- something he didn’t  _ want _ shoved over his head.

Immediately trying to fight again, Norman unfortunately couldn’t move much as more agonizing pain and disgust filled him when wires were being pushed through where his  _ eyes _ should have been, woven in and out of his body with clicking of something being attached to him. With one last resounding and echoing  _ click _ , the room fell silent as Norman found himself suddenly released to hang freely once more.

Whatever had been put on his head was heavy, and it made him lean it forward… his neck was already starting to ache. With a resounding clap of hands clasping, Joey spoke sounding obnoxiously pleased

“Perfect! Now Tom, go ahead; activate it!”

“Mister Drew, I hope you know what you’re doing… this nightmare is  _ not _ what I signed up for.”

Confused and still struggling, Norman was getting impatient when suddenly he heard clicking start up… a familiar clicking he lived for. A projector. But as it was warming up and turning on, he could see flashing… his… his vision? It was flickering to life…

Unable to blink but feeling as if he needed to, Norman could suddenly  _ see _ \- and what he  _ could _ see was horrifying to say the least. The room he was in was emptied out aside from a layer of ink over the floor a few inches deep, and the wiring holding him up to the ceiling. Looking around, he found the ominous light making the others squint was coming from  _ him _ . His  _ eyes _ were a  _ projector _ .

Feeling his horror bubble into his throat as he gazed upon the other four, Norman let out a sound that was nothing like anything he’d ever made before- something that perfectly mirrored exactly how he felt.

He shrieked.

The sound made everyone around him start and jump back from him in fear as Norman fought to try and get free, but again to no avail. Angry and distraught, he turns his gaze on Joey whom he wished most to hurt for this. Only to his frustration however, Joey smirked

“Perfect…  _ now, _ he’s truly the projectionist! We’ll release him into the abyss where he can keep working, but with no escape. Take him there when you see he’s fit to move, Tom…”

Clanking on the wires uselessly, Norman let out a second shriek that made them all cover their ears before Susie exclaimed in irritation

“I’m getting out of here! This ugly monster is far too noisy and  _ hideous _ to look at…”

Tom sneered at her words as she and Joey both left, Sammy turning to look at him now…

Sammy…

The man approached him silently, turning his still rather disturbing mask to the side revealing he  _ too _ had almost no face at all- simply the shape of one. Feeling sad for him and somewhat distraught at his affliction, Norman let out a softer groan from his speaker that sounded terribly pained and sad as he felt. Echoing the feeling, the shape of Sammy’s face moved to look equally distraught as he became shockingly gentle…

Holding Norman’s new ‘head’, Sammy spoke softly;

“Norman… I’m so sorry… I’m so, so  _ sorry _ … I never meant for this to happen to you…”

Tilting his head down to let his flickering gaze shine over the man below him, Norman felt his heart ache. Despite everything, he still loved him…

With a sigh, the man named Tom crossed his arms

“There’s unfortunately nothing else we can do for ya now… stay strong, alright Polk? We’ll figure this out eventually…”

As Norman continued to gaze upon Sammy however, he felt that was unlikely; that he may never be the same again. Though, at the very least, having Sammy at his side was some comfort… perhaps, just maybe as long as he was here, he could hold onto hope...


	24. Fallen From the Angel’s Grace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being reminded of Norman's terrible experience, Alice begins to question herself and realize why they'd been fighting so frequently. After self doubt and regret, she begins to admit the truth about herself and her identity... but her changes don't quite go the same as Sammy's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Mild body horror (melting mention; it's not very detailed)
> 
> Notes: only one image this update for chapter 24!

* * *

As the memory on the wall flickered and faded away, Henry realizes everyone in the room had gone silent. It was so dreadfully quiet that the only noise was the sound of ink dripping and running through pipes. Frowning a bit, he slowly turns to look at Alice to see her reaction… only to find she looked rather blank and somewhat confused. Norman, on the other hand, had crossed his arms and seemed irritated.

“So… that refresh yer memory enough for ya? I know ya weren’t exactly yourself anymore, but…”

It was unspoken, but it was clear he meant ‘you still killed me’. Despite the remark, Alice was still silent; she slowly crosses her own arms, her expression starting to become disturbed. Her lack of retort or reaction was beginning to make Norman look a bit uncomfortable as well. Afterall, the whole mood of the room had become rather tense and grim; even Bendy was frowning and looking antsy.

Sighing quietly, Henry looks over to Alice leaning in a bit towards her

“Alice?... you alright?”

Narrowing her gaze a bit then, she closes her eyes before sighing through her nose

“...I suppose, maybe i’m not.”

She tilts her head a bit, the melting half of her face dripping as she was thinking. Norman was silently staring at her now, keeping his posture guarded, but he seemed to be waiting for something. She quietly mumbles,

“You know… things look rather _different_ through someone else’s lens…”

Henry slowly looks to Norman again who shakes his head a bit, still not speaking. Sammy seemed somewhat guilty looking himself, as he’d been a sort of accomplice in it, but to what degree was really for them to decide. 

Edgar approaches Alice then, frowning

“My angel?...”

Huffing a bit and smirking slightly, Alice looks down at him with a bitterness in her voice

“I suppose it’s time I face some truths, don’t I?...”

Her smirk twitched into a scowl that Henry recognized well… self-loathing

“I’m not much of an angel... am I? Maybe I never really _was_ … Maybe I’ve lost more than I thought to this inky _Hell_ . I remember when it didn’t used to be like _this_ …”

She was looking at her hands now, probably searching her own mind for memories like Norman seemed to have so luckily retained. Henry knew she had some recollection of before this realm, but even she didn’t always remember. He could only wonder what was tormenting her now as she began sneering at herself.

Norman, on the other hand, seemed to still be waiting on her for something in particular- but Henry wasn’t entirely sure what; an apology, maybe? He wasn’t sure an apology could make up for what they’d seen in the memory. Then again, who was to blame for the act when even she had been tormented and twisted by the ink to the point she wasn’t herself? Alice seemed to be thinking the same thing as she turns to Norman now, looking tired and dragged down as she speaks;

“I think it’s clear to say, that wasn’t my _proudest_ moment. I will admit I… let myself get far too lost and angry. I’m not going to try and deny what happened, _but_ , I want to remind you if it weren’t for Joey and his _experiment_ none of us would be like this. I wouldn’t possibly have _dreamed_ of… of...”

Looking irritated, she tsks before wiping some of the melting ink from her face

“If you want me to say ‘i’m sorry’, it’s not happening! You’re still a creep, and shouldn’t have been so nosy! But… well, I guess you’re not a bad person- we just don’t see eye to eye. What I did…”

Frowning, she quietly drops her stubborn act that Henry could tell her heart wasn’t really behind anyways. 

“I-it’s just inexcusable. That I did that to you... I’d completely forgotten somehow, either from the ink or… well…”

Norman leans back a bit, sighing heavily while finishing the sentence

“Or ya couldn’t bear the guilt and suppressed it. Of course I ain’t gonna stop bein’ mad about it so easily, but… well, it’s complicated. I know ya wouldn’t have _actually_ meant to; at least, if Joey hadn’t twisted y’all so horribly… But it still _happened._ ”

Blurting in then, Sammy suddenly came forward

“I’m not innocent either!”

He slowly turns his attention to Sammy, who frowns a little and gently reaches out and places a hand on one of Norman’s arms. 

“Norman, I… I helped _chase_ you into this- I-I helped _make_ you into this… if you’re angry with her, you need to be with me _too_.”

It was surprising to say the least that Sammy was taking responsibility for something like this, and defending Alice in the act even when they’d been bickering so much earlier. But the way he glanced at her with guilt, Henry knew he cared; they were still important to him even now.

Norman was silent for a moment before he looks down at Sammy’s hand and just as gently holds it with one of his own now, turning to look at Alice again. Sighing heavily through his speaker, he nodded looking down

“Maybe… maybe ya got a point there… I’ve been stuck in my head, gettin’ riled over something I shouldn’t have pinned so readily on ya… I was just so mad- so hurt, an’ _betrayed_ … ‘s hard not t’ pin blame. Alice… _I’m_ sorry.”

Needless to say, everyone was quite surprised but Alice was more so than anyone as Norman continued;

“I can’t imagine what it was like fer you too, havin’ t’ kill on someone’s orders an’ be subjected to Joey’s messed up ‘metamorphosis’ crap with the ink. You were probably feelin’ just like me, cornered an’ angry, then lashed out from it all… guess we both fell victim to Drew’s games, huh?...”

To His, and everyone else’s surprise yet again, she looked rather close to tears.

“What?- aw c’mon now, don’t start cryin’ on me!”

“I never meant to, Norman…”

Bendy grimaces from that, pulling on his bowtie

“Aw jeeze, seein’ people cry makes me feel real bad… _especially_ like this”

Henry shakes his head at Bendy, turning his attention to Alice who was getting more upset; he could imagine all the attention wasn’t helping.

“Alright, let’s move this talk away from the crowd guys…”

Though, Alice held out a hand stopping him and the others as she sighed shakily

“No… no; They need to hear it. I…”

Once again, Edgar spoke next to her

“My lady, you needn’t do this-”

“It’s fine, Edgar… it’s for you to hear too.”

Kneeling in front of him then, she gives a half-hearted smile while the other two butcher gang members approached.

“I haven’t been the angel I said I was… in fact, I’ve been _hiding_ from you. _That’s_ why I never let you in my sight… so that I didn’t have to be in _yours_.”

Edgar sputtered then, confused as the other two who came closer

“B-b-but my lady! You were kind and saved us, gave us life, and-”

“-and used you to try and fix myself? Run my dangerous errands in my obsessive bid to fix myself, thinking that if I _looked_ like an angel I could _be_ one?...”

At that, Edgar fell silent with a frown as he glanced side to side at Charley and Barley who were on his left and right looking equally downtrodden. Standing now, Alice turns to norman for a moment before instead speaking directly to Henry now;

“Henry… this whole charade of ‘beauty’; I’m sure you knew the whole time it wasn’t really about trying to be ‘pretty’ pretty…”

Henry sighed softly and nodded, recalling the unfortunate recordings of her being manipulated by Joey into her ‘role’...

“...I wanted to be a _good person_ again; someone I didn’t fear when I looked in a mirror… but this _ink!_ This wretched, horrible, corrupted _ink_ stained me deeper than anything on my face could show… it stained my _soul_ . Sammy said you all looked different when his ink melted… I’m not sure if it’s ink obscuring my eyes, but I see something _horrible_ when I look at my reflection...”

She looked as if she was in pain now, wiping more of her melting face away

“I just wanted to be charming, happy, and beloved like the sweet Alice Angel… but I’m not really _her_ am I?... I never _really_ was, was I?... I’m just… _Susie_ , the washed up voice actress clinging to broken dreams like the terrible man I believed in for some stupid reason...”

Starting to cry more, she covered her face causing the butcher gang to quickly get her a chair (after stumbling and clambering overtop of one another like cartoons), having her sit down. Muffled by her hands, she continued speaking through her sobs

“W-When did I go from a beautiful actress to a _murderer?!_ Joey _ruined_ my career, _ruined_ my dreams, and ruined _me!_ ”

Sammy grimaces a bit at that, trying to fan her and calm her down 

“We’ve all done some questionable things in this place thanks to the circumstances; besides, it’s not _really_ murder if they’re just made of ink, right?... Well, except uh… er… well…”

Alice seemed to not be listening to him regardless as she looks to Norman, her face dripping with all kinds of ink and tears

“Thanks to Joey ruining my life, I ruined so many _others_ including _you!_ H-How am I able to just look past that??”

Beside her, the butcher gang members looked quite solemn and were trying to comfort and console her but not to much success. Norman finally sighs, turning to and addressing her;

“Look… Susie. Can I call ya that now? Maybe yer not _really_ Alice, but that’s not a bad thing. She was that… whatcha callit Sammy always went on about; your muse, right? An inspiration. She was a character that made ya happy, made ya feel compelled to be charming, nice, an’ all that. But ya know what? You already _were_ all that stuff before her. She didn’t give that magic to ya… yer the one who gave _her_ that magic. Maybe yer a bit lost, but we all are these days… it ain’t too late to turn around and try again t’ be better.”

Drooping his projector head with a dramatic sigh, he slowly looks to her again

“...and I ain’t gonna blame ya fer drowning me. It was gonna happen eventually, no matter what… whether you, Joey, or that horrid Ink demon- someone was bound to catch me eventually. At least you an’ Sammy came back to try an’ help me somewhat…”

Sniffling, Susie looks to him with a surprised but still sad expression

“You… you really mean that? B-but I tormented you so much, and left you down here! I-I’ve been _horrible_ to you…”

Norman shrugs at that simply replying

“I haven’t been a peach ta you either. Fair’s fair in this Hell at this point.”

Susie seemed unsure, continuing to berate herself

“ _Still_ … all of this because of some- some role I wouldn’t let _go_ of… Alice angel made me feel special, and I chased that to the point I tore myself and everyone around me _apart_ …”

Sammy shakes his head, chiming in now

“You always _were_ special, Susie! Your talented voice was a wonder in my department, and the whole studio. The character would’ve been nothing without you.”

Norman nods, continuing

“Alice was a chance at your big break, and Joey used you for it. Lied about making you a star preying on yer insecurities and dreams... he used you. It’s not your fault he couldn’t see a real person with hopes an’ dreams that couldn’t be replaced by some fictional character.”

Bendy looked like he was about to share a stern word with them for calling Alice ‘just a character’, but Henry quickly grabs him and covers his mouth with a comical ‘pop’ noise as the demon squirms rather unpleasantly in his arms.

Having not paid attention to the act and sneering now, Susie flaps a tissue she’d been given by Edgar before leaning on one hand

“Oh yeah? What about that _Allison_ , huh? She replaced me just fine according to that _note_ hidden from me about her...”

Both Sammy and Norman sigh in unison at that, making Susie almost smirk a little. Henry had to admit, he almost did too. Norman puts a hand on her shoulder then

“Susie, voice actin’ is just a job. It can’t take away who ya are… plus, yer the one who gave Alice the start to everythin’ that made her who she was; ya gave her life.”

Sammy nods, adding

“Plus, Allison was nice, but it just wasn’t the same. It wasn’t bad so to speak, but both she and I knew it wasn’t right. Also... she didn’t _really_ want the role after finding out it had been yours. Joey didn’t tell her the truth about someone having had it before her. She… well, she actually tried to fight him over giving it back to you. And well…”

Looking down now, Sammy looked almost guilty prompting curious looks from the others. Slowly, he takes a deep breath and exhale before speaking

“...Joey said he had plans for you with a different Alice role. I overheard…”

Norman snorts then

“Ya mean eavesdropped?”

“I was curious! But that’s besides the point.”

He looks Susie in the eye now, which was getting a little difficult with her melting state.

“Susie, he took your role away not to spite you or because he felt you weren’t good enough- he took it away to give you the _physical_ role of Alice, because he felt you fit _too_ well…”

At that, Susie slowly seemed to be contemplating what was said, her gaze dropping to the floor. Henry could only imagine what this information meant to her… and he certainly hated hearing it himself. Joey’s antics were always over the top, bordering on malicion... and he hoped it wasn’t going to feed Susie’s desire to embody someone she wasn’t.

Susie however simply closes her eyes before speaking rather calmly

“So her spirit has _always_ been with me… I suppose that makes sense... But, I don’t think… well, for once in my so called ‘life’ if we’re even alive anymore, I don’t really _want_ to be a character anymore. Playing pretend made me so blind, so _obsessed_ with perfection… and it’s just… not me. It makes me someone cruel, and uncaring… and I don’t want to be that anymore.”

She looks to Norman then, who seemed a bit confused with where she was going

“...I tried tearing everything down around me to find myself, but I was right here the whole time. Just like Sammy… just like you. I’m sorry, Norman… I really am.”

Huffing a small laugh at that, Norman looks down himself

“Well, hearin’ that from ya makes me feel better I’ll admit… An’ Susie? I know ya probably heard the whole ‘nobody’s perfect’ thing plenty, but it’s true. Despite that though… I think I like ya just the way ya are. Well, uh, without the whole angry obsessed murder-y part that is.”

At that, she actually smiles which makes Henry have to smile; seeing them get along was making him feel hopeful again.

“Well, I think I could do without that part too… but how am I supposed to be _me_ again if I’ve lost myself so badly to this… inky mess? At least, _physically_ that is.”

Looking down, she holds out her arms a bit in distress

“ _Especially_ if i’m melting so much?!”

Sammy and Norman lean back, both looking down at the puddle forming from her in surprise. Bendy, who had been struggling the whole time, was now biting his ‘nails’ through his gloves prompting Henry to set him down.

“Aw jeeze, how many of us gotta melt before we’re done?!”

Henry frowns, really wishing he could get up from his chair

“W-well, maybe it’s like Sammy? You’re just changing, right??”

Sammy grimaces however as Susie pulls a decent amount of ink from where half her face was supposed to be, making her panic 

“Henry, I appreciate your optimism, _bUT I DON’T THINK SO! WHAT DO I DO?!_ ”

Trying to think of what to do while Norman and Sammy attempt to push Susie back together, Henry looks to Bendy grabbing him up off the floor causing the little demon to squish and squeak like a dog toy.

“OY! WATCH IT!”

If it weren’t for the panic, he’d have laughed; instead, Henry gently shakes Bendy before asking,

“Bendy, remember when you healed me that one time from that glass?? Do you think you could do it again??”

Looking startled by the sudden question, Bendy blinks a bit before shrugging

“I-I dunno!! I told ya, I don’t even know how I did it the last time!!”

“Can you at least _try?_ Please?”

Bendy sighs, looking over to Susie with concern as the butcher gang was running pointless circles of panic around her

“I-I mean, I can if ya put me down!”

Quickly putting him down, Henry watches nervously as Bendy scurries over to Susie

“Alright toots, let’s see if I can’t help ya!”

“Just do _something!_ Anything is better than _melting!_ ”

Rubbing his hands together for some kind of dramatic effect, Bendy doesn’t look too sure as he takes one of her fore arms just like he had with Henry to heal him. Slowly, all the ink that had melted off of Susie starts flowing back together and re-forming her; Henry notices as well that Bendy was… glowing slightly. It made him think of the miracle station.

Norman and Sammy seemed slightly awe-struck along with the relieved bucher gang, staring as Bendy was slowly putting Susie back together with his eyes closed. Starting to look like before, she briefly looks relieved before it turns into confusion.

“Uhm… I feel funny. Is that normal?”

Bendy still doesn’t let go of her, and Henry’s eyes widen as does Sammy’s (and Norman’s he would imagine if he actually had them); Susie’s entire body had lit up with specks of light that looked like a galaxy of stars. 

Looking down at herself, Susie seemed like she was about to question it when suddenly she inhales horribly as if mid-drowning while the hundreds of gold light specks drained downward at once. Gut sinking, Henry could only watch frozen to his seat as Susie melts even _faster_ now, all of the ink she was made of draining with each light that left her.

Sammy flails his arms in a panic, grabbing and shaking Bendy who seemed to be in some kind of trance, unresponding.

“W-WHAT DID YOU DO?? CAN YOU EVEN HEAR ME? WHAT DID YOU _DO?!_ ”

Norman gently pulls Sammy’s hands off of Bendy before speaking

“Look; he’s holdin’ somethin’!”

Sammy pauses, and Henry strains to look around Bendy to see what was in his hands. Blinking, Bendy looks around in his own confusion before jumping a bit with a start at the lack of Susie, and at whatever he was holding. Turning to Henry then, he looks distraught, but Henry was more interested in what was in his hands; it was a little ball of gold light like the others, but bigger.

“Bendy… what did you _do?_ ”

Looking guilty, he looks at his hands

“I-I don’t know! I thought about tryina put her back the way she was, but it wasn’t workin’ ‘cause of the instability from all those soul bits, an’ I just- I-I think I just _purged_ her!!”

At that, Henry recalls the whole ‘soul bits’ thing Bendy had mentioned so long ago, and the way they were making Susie unstable. That meant what he was holding…

“Bendy… are you holding her _soul?_ ”

Sammy gawks at that, Norman seeming pretty taken aback as well while Bendy blankly stares into his hands for a moment before looking at Henry almost disappointed for some reason

“No… i’m holdin’ _most_ of it. A bit of it’s missin’.”

Henry leans back in his chair with a creak, running a hand through his hair in bewilderment

“Is that why she kept melting? she literally lost a bit of her _soul_ ? But where?... and _how?_ ”

His worried thoughts were interrupted as Sammy interjects rather loudly,

“YOU’RE HOLDING HER SOUL?! Y-YOU JUST EXORCISED HER INTO A PUDDLE, AND ARE HOLDING. HER SOUL. HOW ARE YOU NOT FREAKING OUT? I’M FREAKING OUT! NORMAN, ARE YOU FREAKING OUT? BECAUSE I AM!”

Norman flinches as Sammy accidentally wonks the side of his projector head in his outburst, shaking it off with a grunt before having to bear-hug the music director and hold him together

“Sammy, throwin’ a fit is _not_ gonna help! Yeah, i’m kinda wigged out ‘cause that’s straight up demon magic an’ souls are _real_ , but we gotta focus here!”

Bendy looked a tad grumpy, his brow furrowed as he’s holding the soul up looking at it now

“It’s not like I _meant_ ta do that! ‘Sides, she’s probably better off like this…”

In the beat of silence (aside from Sammy panicking), Bendy blinks as his gaze meets that of the mortified butcher gang. Giving an honest ‘uh oh’ smile, he nervously laughs a bit

“Uh… fellas?...”

Edgar finally closes his mouth that had dropped open

“You… took… her soul…”

“It was an accident!!”

“ _AN ACCIDENT??_ ”

While the three now bantered over the soul with Bendy, Henry had a terrible feeling and sneaking suspicion the more he pondered where her missing bit was. All of the weird dark magic and rituals confused him, but the more he pieced together, the more he was starting to puzzle it out. Joey had wanted her to be Alice Angel… he had chosen her for some _ritual_ to become her; but what had it required? Vaguely, he recalled Bendy mentioning something about not making promises to angels, which made him wonder… if promising to an _angel_ was bad… how bad was a promise with a _devil?_

“Sammy… do you remember anything about the rituals?”

Sammy blinks, finally pausing in his own panic to turn and stare at Henry before brushing his bangs from his face

“What?? Rituals??”

He furrows his brow, looking like he was thinking

“I mean… barely. They were rather disturbing and… oh, I wish I hadn’t thought about _that_ now.”

Henry sighs, leaning forward a little

“I just need to know, did it have anything weird to it? Maybe something that would require an _agreement?_ ”

Sammy slowly puts a hand on his chin trying to think, but Bendy gives Henry a concerned look and speaks instead cutting off the bickering butcher gang who were fighting to grab their ‘angel’s soul from him

“Ya mean a contract, dontcha? All that demon ritual stuff? From what bit of the Ink demon’s memories I got… I think I recall somethin’ about sacrifices? I dunno what that could mean though, ‘cause if ya ask me, the word sacrifice can mean several pretty bad things…”

Henry thinks how indeed that wasn’t exactly great, but it wasn’t what he was looking for; he turns to Sammy again, still waiting for him to speak. Sammy sighs, shaking his head a little

“I don’t know… All I know was Joey loved to brag about owning a lot of souls, because he saw his employees as his puppets and- ohhh… things make more sense now…”

Henry covers his face with both hands, letting out a frustrated groan rather loudly.

“I think I know where her soul piece is... Joey probably has it.”

Norman chimes in, sounding worried

“If he has a bit of her soul, who’s ta say he doesn’t have ours?? What if he can _control_ us??”

Uncovering his face Henry looks up to him frowning

“I don’t know. If that’s true, then why was _she_ the only one melting? I think what we need to really focus on right now is trying to find hers first to fix her…”

Bendy huffs at Henry then, giving him a stern look while still holding the soul out of the reach of the others (which was impressive considering edgar’s extendable arm). Blinking, he looks up meeting some equally concerned expressions from the other two.

“...What?”

Sammy huffs, giving him a look of mock surprise

“Really, Henry? First, if anything, you need to _recover!_ None of us are in any shape to go soul-searching right now. Literally. At least, quite a few of us.”

Just then, a shuffling noise from nearby announces Boris who finally was getting in on the situation signing

_‘I’m back with lost ones from gathering supplies… what’d I miss?’_

Before anyone can answer, Boris’ gaze along with the many lost ones falls onto the scenario before them. Bendy was simply staring back at them, holding the soul while standing in an ink puddle that had an obvious metal halo in it with the butcher gang trying to fight him.

Sweating, Bendy slowly looks down before looking back up to them.

“This uh… looks pretty bad, huh?”

Boris, finally shaking his shock away quickly signs

‘ _What have you /done/?!_ ’

It seemed that there would be a lot of explaining and calming the situation for Henry before anything else could be accomplished… maybe they were right.

He really needed a break.

Turning to Bendy, he calls out

“Hand them the soul.”

Giving a double-take that made his eyes spin for a moment, Bendy shakes his head off before responding

“What?? But they might-”

“It’ll be fine. Edgar is responsible, I’m sure he can take care of her. I need you to help me back to the infirmary to rest…”

Sighing, Bendy finally hands over the soul to the upset butcher gang members who run off with it as Edgar calls out “Find something to hold her- quick!”. Bendy sighs, shrugging

“Well, the least I can do is getcha back to bed then…”

Before Henry can ask how he planned on doing that (because there was no possible way he was strong enough to lift him), Bendy snaps his fingers; suddenly, the two of them free-fall through an inky hole that had spawned on the floor that makes Henry’s stomach flip until they’re suddenly in the infirmary, Henry still sitting on his chair looking bewildered.

“W-what on Earth did you just do??”

“Well pally, I dunno about bein’ on Earth no-more, but I warped us! The ink is good fer that, but doin’ it too much has uhhhhhh... complications.”

Henry figured those complications would be either dissolving into ink or running into the Ink demon, both of which he would rather avoid. At the very least, it _could_ come in handy for the future. 

Looking longingly at the infirmary bed however, he was going to take a good long nap before tackling the other issues they had…

He wanted to think things through, the obvious being how they’d fix Susie- but there were still the questions he had about Sammy. For now, he could just take a moment to rest... 

...right?


	25. To Hell in a Minecart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things have gotten rocky between Bendy and the Butcher gang thanks to his fiasco with 'healing' their beloved angel, leaving Bendy to try and work things out without much luck. As Henry rests to recover from his injuries still, he gets anxious in his boredom deciding a little adventure on his own to find the last members for their clique is due... but a certain 3 armed spider decides to tag along despite their tensions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none

* * *

Sighing heavily, Bendy rolls around on the sofa the lost ones had put out in their lobby-like area feeling bored and irritated. There had to be  _ something _ he could do while waiting on Henry to get better other than pondering his thoughts, which was all he’d been doing for hours now. 

What felt like a few days had passed since Susie had melted, and it had been rather rocky. First off, it took a  _ lot _ of reasoning from Henry to calm the butcher gang so they wouldn’t blame Bendy off that bat for what happened to her, and still they weren’t being all too warm to him. He’d  _ tried _ to make the best of it for them- he’d even put her soul in a jar with some ink and tapped the halo on top like an Alice Angel snow globe! But, they hadn’t found that very funny.

Bendy now had to deal with the awkward mistrust between the butcher gang and himself which was slowly driving him mad. Aggression he could deal with just fine, but  _ passive _ aggression? Well that, he thinks, was so terrible he’d rather just get punched in the face and call it even. 

Out of all of it though, what was bothering him the most was Edgar; he had been friendly with him before and was even starting to get to be a bit more than tolerable, but now he was stoically giving him the cold shoulder. Bendy had tried repeatedly (as did the others) to tell him it wasn’t on purpose, but it didn’t matter. With Henry busy resting and recovering, Sammy and Norman going on supply runs with the lost ones, and the butcher gang not talking to him, the only company Bendy had was Boris.

Sure, the quiet wolf wasn’t  _ bad _ company, but he was too timid and jumpy and kept following everyone else around most of the time anyways (because, quite literally, he was a dog. That’s what they do). Crossing his arms under his head and dangling one leg off the couch to swing it in his continued bored frustration, he overhears a couple lost ones speaking nearby…

“...we need to bring supplies to the city below. Our neighbor location needs more because the Ink demon is cutting off their route right now...”

“Guess we need to load up and prepare searchers with carts then… it’s going to be a rough trip down.”

Slowly opening one eye in interest, Bendy continued eavesdropping

“It always is, but we need to support one another. If they hadn’t supplied us earlier we’d be done for…”

“Right. Let’s get to work then…”

Sitting up, Bendy watches as groups of lost ones start directing one another and filling what looked like shabby mining carts that he didn’t know the origins of with supplies. Slowly, some impressively large searchers with mining hats rose through the floor shaking off bits of rubble as they were harnessed with said incredibly heavy carts not unlike reindeer. 

Even more curious now, Bendy hops off the couch to scurry over to the lost ones he’d been listening in on

“Hey, hey! Ya need t’ help out yer buddies in the city below, right??”

Blinking in confusion, the two look to one another before looking back to Bendy

“...do you know about it? And yes, we do… why do you ask?”

Grinning at that, Bendy winks

“Yeah, I know about it! I wanna help out! Ya said the Ink demon is givin’ yer other guys trouble, right? I can chase him off!”

They looked concerned and unsure about that, but Bendy waves an arm

“Ah, don’t worry ‘bout me; I’ve fought and beaten him before! ‘Sides, I can make gettin’ down there a lot easier… Mind showin’ me how ya plan on gettin’ these carts down there?”

The lost ones shrug to one another before walking to show him, probably figuring it couldn’t hurt. While Bendy starts to follow them though, he pauses feeling someone watching him. Looking over his shoulder, he catches Edgar eyeing him with a disgruntled look. Giving him one back, Bendy sniffs with contempt before turning away from him on purpose. It took a lot of willpower not to look back to see his reaction.

Hurrying over to the lost ones again, Bendy watches as several many of them were now struggling to pull open the doors to an unfinished mining shaft that likely would’ve been another part of the studio. Giving a low whistle, Bendy listens as it echoes ominously down the drafty and dripping shaft that had sparsely spread out lights illuminating the way down.

“That’s a long haul down… ain’t that tirin’ fer the poor fellas?”

One of the lost ones sighs, looking to the searchers by the carts

“It is, but they’re the only forces we have that can move them. I don’t know what we’d do without them helping us move supplies and digging so we can build and survive…”

Bendy rubs his chin in thought for a moment before snapping his fingers grinning deviously

“Well, what if I help ya get these carts down in record time?”

Blinking, both of the lost ones lean in curiously now

“And how can you do that??”

“Well, a little ink slide to carry ‘em will carry ‘em right down to where ya need them no problem! …except there would be  _ one _ problem, havin’ somewhere we can divert the flood…”

The lost ones seem rather excited though, one of them leaning closer to him

“The river! You can just empty the excess ink to the river!”

Blinking himself, Bendy beams at them

“There, see? That’s perfect! So whaddya say?”

Both of them grabs his hands then, shaking them making Bendy get a bit dizzy as he makes a cartoon rattling noise

“That would be perfect! Thank you! Just let us finish prepping the supply train and we’ll give you the go ahead!”

Letting go and grabbing his head to make it stop rattling, Bendy slowly smiles again

“Ehh, yeah, don’t mention it! Really… don’t mention it.”

Bendy glances back towards the infirmary thinking how he was currently trying to sneak away to get something done while Henry was resting. He was helping some others out in the process, but his true focus was getting below to find the last two they were missing from their little entourage. Whether they’d  _ like _ seeing him or not was another matter… the last he remembers of them was… not much, to say the least.

Sighing, Bendy slowly psyches himself up with determination to fight the nagging nervousness he was getting over going off on his own. Before he can step forward though, a hand grasps his shoulder making him flinch and turn. He finds himself face to face with Edgar suddenly, who looked stern. Shouldering his hand off, Bendy gives him a grumpy look in return crossing his arms

“Whaddya want? I thought you were busy bein’ mad an’ ignorin’ me ‘cause ya don’t  _ trust _ me.”

Edgar sighs, closing his eye for a moment before opening it again still looking stern. Bendy realizes he had the jar with Susie’s soul in it, firmly harnessed to his hip with some new belt device Barley must’ve made. The Striker follows his gaze, but his expression remained the same as he speaks

“Currently, I do not. At least, not entirely. But that is not my point; whatever you’re up to right now… It does not seem wise.”

Bendy sneers a little at him, but inside he wished they didn’t have to conflict like this; it actually stung a bit that a simple accident had made them go back all the way to near square one when they were considered enemies.

“Even if it  _ is _ , why should ya care? Ya seemed real quick ta just forget about anythin’  _ good _ I’ve done before, an’ the fact we were supposed to be  _ friends _ … so again; why should ya care?”

Edgar stood silent, unchanging for a moment before he sighs heavily and instead looked concerned

“I have not forgotten… I am simply frustrated. Worried, even. Perhaps I was quick to judge, but… what else am I to believe? Our Angel gave us everything, and… you  _ melted  _ her.”

Bendy gives him a disgruntled look before dragging both hands down his face groaning

“Look; I keep tellin’ ya, it was an  _ accident! _ ‘Sides, she ain’t dead! She’s fine! It’ll just take some time fer her t’ reform ‘cause she was all messed up from havin’ those other bits of souls in her! I gotta be frank here Ed, if I hadn’t done that, she’d probably have  _ died. _ Like, for  _ real _ ”

Edgar looked disgruntled at that

“Please do not call me  _ Ed _ . And… I did not know this. Would it really have hurt her so badly?...”

Bendy nods, putting his hands on his hips

“There’s a reason nobody likes bein’ in th’ ink. Too many people in one space is just bad fer ya… I did her a favor!”

Edgar now seemed conflicted, but he sighs and looks to Bendy frowning

“I suppose in one way, but she is still a  _ puddle _ . I know not what to do without her guidance…”

Bendy gives him a look of amusement while slumping forward

“Really, pal? Look, I’m not tryina be rude here, but grow a  _ spine! _ We’re more than our creators! I learned that the hard way!”

Taking a running start, Bendy hops up on top of a crate to pose dramatically at Edgar who raises a brow at him

“Ya gotta learn ta move on! Yer not some ‘thing’ that she owns! Yer a livin’  _ person _ , an’ ya have free will! Owin’ a debt ta someone an’ bein’ their servant are two very different things, ya know? So what’re ya gonna do now, huh? Wait around an’ cry over some ink inna jar or  _ do _ somethin’?”

Edgar was still frowning, but he looked like he was thinking. Bendy hoped the guy would at least stop being so grossly worshippy over Not-Alice, because it was as weird as when Sammy was calling the Ink demon and himself ‘my lord’. Slowly, Edgar looks up to him responding

“I suppose… maybe you are right about a few things. I am plenty capable of being my own person… I suppose I was caught up in my gratefulness to her. But do you really think my loyalty makes me seem  _ spineless? _ ”

Bendy snorts, flopping to sit on the crate now looking down on him

“Yeah, it does. Ya sound like Sammy when he was cryin’ over th’ Ink demon… it’s weird, an’ ya really need to let it go.”

Edgar grimaces a little, rubbing the back of his head

“When you put it like that, I suppose you’re right…”

He sighs before looking up to Bendy with concern again

“But what of you? Whatever you plan to do, is it not dangerous and something Henry would disapprove of?”

Bendy snorts again, grinning this time as he hops down before Edgar

“Potentially yes, and yes. But that’s what makes it fun! I care about the old man, but he ain’t the boss of me! I’m fully capable a’ walkin’ ‘round here on my own doin’ my own thing. An’ I wanna help out some, so I figured why not?”

Edgar shakes his head a bit, but sighs closing his eye

“I suppose I understand… you want to do something nice in return for all he has done, correct? We are not too different in our situations then…”

Looking at the jar with a frown, he’s quiet for the moment before looking back to Bendy

“You said she would return? How long do you believe it shall take?”

Putting a hand on his chin in thought, Bendy ponders that; he wasn’t all too knowledgeable about how things worked here, but the Ink demon was. He seemed to have studied and understood this stuff  _ way _ better.

“Hmmm… I actually dunno. It’ll take time, but she’ll come out when she’s ready… I think. Somethin’ seemed to be missin’ though, ‘cause she was meltin’ so much. I dunno why or what… guess we’ll have ta find out later, huh?”

Edgar sighs in disappointment at that, putting his hands on his hips looking down for a moment before slowly looking back up to Bendy

“Well… if it will take time, then I suppose I have my own to spare. That being the case… I shall accompany you.”

Blinking, Bendy smiles a little now as he hops up and down a couple times in front of Edgar

“Really?? You can help me out then! There’s two people left we gotta find an’ recruit for our uh… what would you  _ call _ this?”

He gestures towards the infirmary to mean their group. Edgar rubs his chin with one of his multiple arms while the other two stayed on his hips

“Hmm… the resistance, I suppose? We  _ are _ fighting a common oppressing enemy, afterall.”

Bendy shrugs, smiling at that

“Well, I think they’d like that! We need ta recruit two last members to our little ‘resistance’ then!”

Heading towards the mining shaft again, Edgar follows Bendy curiously

“So, who is it exactly we are searching for?”

Bendy looks down the dreary tunnel that was howling ominously with its draft, still smiling despite how ominous it looked

“An odd pair, that’s fer sure… I dunno how much you’ll like ‘em, but I think we’ll get along!”

He thinks of how the angel they were going to hunt for, however, did  _ not _ like the other one in a jar on Edgar’s hip- not to mention her rather scary wolf of a husband. Shaking his head Bendy shrugs turning back to Edgar

“First thing’s first though, we gotta find ‘em. Ready fer the ride down?”

Edgar makes a concerned face at that, glancing down the dim tunnel

“When you put it like that, I am not sure…”

“Aww c’mon, Ed! It’ll be  _ fun! _ ”

Looking unamused now, the striker sighs

“Again, do not call me  _ Ed _ .  _ please. _ And I highly doubt anyone but  _ you _ will find it fun... but, I suppose I am prepared nonetheless…”

Watching as the lost ones and mining searchers approach with their hitched train of carts, Bendy beams.

“Well, ya better saddle up then! Once everyone’s in the carts, we’re gettin’ a one-way express trip down!”

Edgar still looked rather uncomfortable, but he climbs into the lead cart regardless while offering a hand down to Bendy who blinks before giving him a smug look

“Wow, such a gentleman now~”

Taking the striker’s hand, he’s quickly pulled up not noticing that Edgar had glanced away in embarrassment nervously. Letting go of his hand, Bendy grips the front of their lead cart smiling

“Now  _ this _ is gonna be good… better hold on tight!”

Behind them, the lost ones and mining searchers had loaded into the other carts and were bracing themselves. To his own surprise, Bendy blinks as Edgar grasps the cart tightly around him keeping them both firmly pressed to the front of it. Looking to him questioningly, Edgar avoids his gaze as he responds

“My grip is likely better than yours… I have more arms and an automated arm, afterall. Just… safety precautions.”

Bendy slowly grins at him, wanting to tease him but he holds back for now; he was more focused on the ride waiting for them.

“Alright, everyone! This train’s headin’  _ out! _ ”

Rapidly, Ink bubbles up and out of the floor lifting the train of carts from the floor a few inches making Edgar tighten his grip even more nervously. Bendy’s grin only stretched wider before he leans forward, willing the ink with his motion. Slowly now, the train began to slide on the ink pouring down the shaft like a log flume ride to the little demon’s delight. He could hear some nervous chatter behind him, but the excitement was making him focus dead ahead as their cart train tipped down into the shaft.

Within moments, the cart train was starting to pick up speed and they were flying impressively fast down the slope riding atop the rush of ink. Laughing wildly, Bendy wishes he could toss up his arms with glee but Edgar was holding him to the cart tightly. Unlike him, Edgar was  _ not _ enjoying the ride and was yelling loudly along with several lost ones and searchers. Some were enjoying it, but Bendy could tell not enough of them had been to amusement parks. Shaking a bit, Edgar calls out over the roar of ink flooding and rushing air past them;

“DON’T YOU THINK WE ARE GOING A LITTLE  _ TOO _ FAST?! WE’LL CRASH INTO WHATEVER AWAITS US AT THE END!”

Cackling, Bendy calls out loudly back to him

“HEY, DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT PALLY! I CAN PUT ON THE BRAKES, BUT RIGHT NOW, JUST ENJOY THE RIDE!”

Edgar, however, was most certainly  _ not  _ going to enjoy it; he looked terrified. Bendy was having too much fun to console him though as they sped down the tunnel. It almost felt like they were warping to another world entirely, the dim string of lights on the walls flying past them like ringed beams of light propelling them forward. 

The cool rush of air and splashing of Ink were also exhilarating, propelling them forward into what looked like an endless tunnel that was slowly growing brighter the closer they were getting. Bracing himself a bit, Bendy knew he’d have to slow them down before long unless they wanted to crash right into the unfortunate makeshift town waiting for them.

“ALRIGHT EVERYONE, HOLD ON TIGHT AS YA CAN! WE’RE SLOWIN’ DOWN!”

Waiting a couple moments so everyone could brace themselves (including Edgar), Bendy struggles to pull a massive effort to slow down their train with the ink. Clenching his teeth, Bendy starts to lean back a bit as he forces them rather joltingly lose momentum; it felt a lot like pulling on a rope in tug of war with a runaway train. He couldn’t quite see how close they were to their destination as he was busy trying to slow them as much as he could when he hears Edgar call out;

“I SEE THE EXIT BUT WE’RE GOING TOO FAST!”

“HEY, I’M TRYIN’; IT AIN’T EASY!”

Worried now, Bendy was beginning to wonder if he’d overdone it and taken on more than he could handle. However, he feels Edgar squeeze him a bit before shouting

“I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT! I’VE SEEN WHAT YOU CAN DO, AND IT AMAZES ME; DON’T GIVE UP!”

Feeling a little flustered by the compliment, Bendy takes a breath before focusing as much as he can; Edgar was right about one thing. He was pretty amazing.

Jerking now, the train of carts lowered to the track again with a screech as Bendy was now using it to help them brake and slow down more. Lifting ink in the front to form a brake, he pulls on it hard as he can- and to his and likely everyone else’s relief, the train of carts finally comes to a squealing halt on the metal track by the under-city. Breathing heavily from the effort, Bendy doesn’t rest just yet as he quickly throws his arms to the side surprising Edgar as the flood of ink pouring down the shaft redirects into the river nearby.

Holding with a struggle to guide the rest of the ink flow until it finally finishes draining, Bendy drops his arms wheezing heavily. Edgar stares in awe before looking back to him

“T-that was incredible! You really pulled it off and… Bendy? Are you alright?”

Having gotten dizzy, Bendy wondered why his striker friend sounded a bit distant… oh. He was passing out. Well, he figures that would make sense; he did probably just over-use his powers again. The last thing he heard was a shout before feeling he’d probably just fallen right out of the cart…

-

Blinking awake, Bendy looks around wildly before finding he had accidentally startled Edgar, whose lap he’d apparently had his head in.

“Whuh… what happened? Did I pass out??”

Sighing and clutching his chest, Edgar took a moment before looking down to him

“Yes, but only briefly thank the heavens. You had used too much of your strength it seems… but you saved everyone and safely delivered much needed supplies; the townsfolk are quite grateful! They offered help, but I deemed myself capable enough and I was right”

Putting his hands together then and looking up at Edgar, Bendy stays laying on him (grinning of course)

“Yeah? What’d ya do, gimme CPR?”

Looking unamused, Edgar rolls his eye before patting a hand right onto bendy’s face making him go ‘Ack!’ and flail his arms briefly

“Yes, I gave you  _ CPR _ for passing out from exhaustion. No; I simply laid you down to rest for a moment. Though, I do have some soup cans the lost ones insisted I give you as repayment.”

Sitting up quickly now, Bendy beams at him

“Soup?! HELL yeah!! Gimme them!!”

Snorting and smirking a little at Bendy’s excitement, Edgar offers him the soup cans

“You know, they also offered to actually warm them  _ up _ for you too…”

Already having pried one open and started drinking it, Bendy blinks and looks to him making the striker snort again.

“Or, I suppose you can just ravenously consume them. Either way, I am glad to see you already recovering.”

Gulping the rest of the soup from the can, Bendy wipes his mouth before shrugging and smiling

“What can I say? I bounce back pretty fast… the ink kinda fuels me I guess?”

Prying open another can, Bendy drinks it as he looks around taking in the sight before them; they were sitting aside in front of one of the makeshift houses, the lost ones and searchers bustling all over as they were distributing and putting away the supplies that had been brought down. Nearby, construction noises alerted him that they were putting some of those supplies to work already to build more housing. Lowering the second empty can, he smiles

“Well, we helped ‘em out a lot huh? Guess this is what it feels like to be  _ nice _ fer a change… but don’t expect it to last!”

He points at Edgar eyeing him as the striker grins mischievously back

“Of course, whatever you say…”

Squinting a bit, Bendy snorts and goes back to smiling

“Nah, i’m just jokin’... I’ve always been a brat, but I ain’t  _ mean _ …”

Taking the last of the soup cans that had been given to him, Bendy was about to down it before he pauses looking to Egar then who was gazing over the bustling town in a sort of wonder. Looking at the soup, Bendy sighs before gently bumping it to Edgar’s arm and offering it to him

“Here. Ya need to keep up yer energy as much as I do.”

Blinking in surprise, Edgar looks at the can before looking to Bendy unsure

“Are you sure you don’t want it?...”

Snorting, Bendy shrugs

“Of course I want it! Doesn’t mean I ain’t gonna give it to ya, though… just take it, alright??”

Shoving the can into Edgar’s hands, the Striker looks bewildered for a moment before he smiles

“Very well… thank you.”

“Yeah, yeah… just eat yer soup, spiderman.”

Rolling his eye, Edgar starts to drink the soup while Bendy watches for a moment before looking off into the distance himself now in thought. Here he was, on his own little adventure with someone he never would’ve dreamed of meeting. It was exhilarating in some ways, but he was worried about other things. 

For one, he didn’t know how the pair they were searching for would react… would they believe him when he explained the situation? What if they didn’t come back with them? Or worse yet, what if they tried to  _ kill _ him? He wasn’t worried about not being able to defend himself, and Edgar was an excellent fighter himself- but he didn’t want to hurt anyone innocent.

Sighing a little, Bendy kicks his feet as he also wonders if the Ink demon would sense he was alone. It would be  _ really _ bad if he found them, because without a doubt he’d kill Edgar, and potentially everyone else down here. If anyone died at the hands of the Ink demon because of him…well, Bendy didn’t want to think about that. Next to him, Edgar seemed to catch on that he was having troubled thoughts as he gently nudged Bendy’s arm

“Hey… Everything is alright. We have this covered. Delving into negative thoughts will only make you worry over things that will waste your energy.”

Smiling a little, Bendy sighs again

“Yeah… guess yer right. Yer pretty wise fer a spider, y’know that?...”

Huffing a small laugh, Edgar shrugs at him

“I suppose. I am… not entirely sure where it comes from, but I am glad for it. So… where shall we begin our search?”

Blinking for a moment, Bendy remembers why they’d come down here in the first place; they had an angel and wolf to find.

“Alright, so lemme explain first… an’ please don’t get mad at me”


	26. A Familiar Tune

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going deeper to find the pair they're looking for, Edgar and Bendy have an uncomfortable encounter before convincing their new friends they mean no harm. However, upon entering the safety of their hideout they meet someone Bendy hadn't thought he'd ever see again in a long time...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none
> 
> Notes: Two drawings this time for chapter 26! It's a longer one than usual introducing some new characters :D

* * *

Standing on the dock to the small town, Bendy had his hands on his hips as Edgar was still disgruntled about learning there was more than one ‘Alice’, and he’d been blindly following around the ‘evil’ one (if she could be called that). Sure, she was usually a bit meaner and didn’t do great things through the rewinds, but she had changed this time! In fact, from what Bendy had gathered, she wasn’t normally a bad person anyways; Joey had pushed her towards it. She’d just needed to find the ‘real’ her again! 

Either way, Bendy was currently trying to assess how best to get to the hideout of the two they were looking for; if his memory served him right, he’d watched Henry get chased by some… giant arm in the ink river. Rubbing his chin in thought now, Bendy was squinting at the ink as Edgar paces behind him

“This place just gets more and more confusing! I hardly understand it anymore; not that I  _ really _ did in the first place… but still! How many other  _ me’s _ are there that I am unaware of?? What if there are hundreds of other Bendys??”

Bendy snorts at that, smirking a little

“Hate ta break it to ya buddy, but there  _ are _ hundreds of other you’s ‘cause yer a striker. But there’s only  _ one _ me! An’ the Ink demon doesn’t count ‘cause he ain’t me. He’s just an abomination.”

Looking down into the ink again, he hears Edgar snort behind him 

“I suppose that first part is true, but… While the Ink demon is malformed, I do believe he still  _ counts _ as another you.”

Grunting a bit in irritation at that, Bendy turns to give him a look

“Can we just drop it fer now? I wanna know what we should do ta get past here instead.”

Edgar blinked at the subject change, but followed it regardless as he shakes his head shrugging his multiple arms

“Very well… can we not simply use your Ink manipulation to carry us through? Or would it do something bad?”

Making a so-so gesture with his hand, it was Bendy’s turn to shrug

“I mean, I  _ can _ do that… but there’s just one  _ little _ problem. An’ it ain’t actually little.”

Edgar gives him a questioning look 

“Hm? Like what? Are you still too exhausted from before?”

Shaking his head, Bendy turns back to the river

“Nope, i’m fine now. There’s just… somethin’ in the river. An’ it ain’t friendly.”

Edgar walks up next to him, squinting but not seeing anything of course; the ink was opaque afterall.

“Really?... what could possibly live within the ink?”

Picking up a rock now, Bendy winds it up sticking his tongue out a bit before pitching it impressively far down the tunnel. With a loud splash, the River ripples before an even bigger splash causes a small ink wave to hit the dock as the giant lumpy hand rises from the ink. Staring, Edgar’s jaw drops

“W-w-what in my Angel’s name is THAT?!”

Bendy snorts before laughing as the arm slowly sinks back into the river, disturbing the ink more

“I dunno! A giant hand?? It just kinda lives in there accordin’ t’ the lost ones… I’d hate to see what it’s attached to…”

Edgar swallows audibly at that, looking nervous

“Y-you wouldn’t think it would be attached to a… a big  _ monster _ , do you?!”

Grinning, Bendy shrugs again

“Dunno! Still don’t wanna find out though. The question we  _ should _ be askin’ is how ta get around it…”

Rubbing his chin again, he can tell Edgar was only more exasperated as he was flapping his arms a bit uselessly

“What if it grabs us?! We would never be heard from again!!”

“Eh, probably not… so we won’t get grabbed. Simple!”

Slumping, Edgar sighs in defeat. Putting all his hands on his hips, he looks down into the ink as well now

“I suppose there isn’t a way to sneak around it, is there?...”

Bendy looks up at the ceiling from that thought, slowly grinning

“Well… maybe there is! You still got that grapplin’ hook thing?”

Blinking and following his gaze, Edgar stares before looking back to him

“I… Yes I do. Are you sure? It will not be pleasant for you…”

Waving a hand dismissively, Bendy simply smiles at him

“It can’t be all bad, right? Might even be fun!”

Edgar smirks a bit at him, making Bendy give him a questioning look

“What?”

“Oh, nothing… if you deem it the best option, then I can carry you with me. You’ll simply need to direct me.”

Squinting now as Edgar seemed smug, Bendy points a finger in the striker’s face

“Yer real smug about this, an’ I don’t like it. What’re ya plannin’, huh??”

“Nothing! I simply think it will be amusing…” 

Bendy squints at him for a moment longer before sighing and shaking his head

“Fine. But if anythin’ happens, i’m gonna be real grumpy!”

Edgar shrugs, wrapping two of his arms around Bendy to hold him to his side as the third raises the grappling hook gun

“Either that, or we will be dead in the grasp of that misshapen hand…”

Before Bendy can respond, Edgar fires the hook which latches distantly to the ceiling and digs into it. Without waiting, a click of some button on it sends them flying over the ink and swinging into the darkness of the tunnel ahead

“wwwwWWWAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIT AAAAAAAA-”

Edgar cackles over Bendy’s yelling, but Bendy was thinking how they should have brought a light source with them; the tunnel was too dark to see in otherwise. To his surprise however, a click noise illuminates the dark as one of Edgar’s arms around Bendy was now holding a flashlight. It seemed Edgar was one step ahead of him. Clinging desperately to the striker, Bendy tries to stop yelling but fails as they swing down the hall flying faster over the ink as they move along. 

“My friend, you are going to need to stop yelling and tell me where to go!”

“Y-Y-YOU STOP YELLIN’!! GO RIGHT!”

Laughing again, Edgar swings them effortlessly around the corner while flinging them through the air as if he’d been born to do this. To be fair, Bendy thinks, he  _ is _ a spider. As they approached another turn with a fork, Bendy tries to stop his teeth chattering to direct them

“R-RIGHT AGAIN! THEN JUST GO STRAIGHT!”

Turning again, Bendy catches a glimpse from below them suddenly of the ink bubbling… it seemed the river inhabitant was aware something was going on above it. Having noticed as well, Edgar suddenly shoves the flashlight into Bendy’s hands shouting himself

“HOLD ON!”

Not hesitating to hold on even tighter, Bendy yells louder as Edgar takes out a second grappling hook that he uses to quickly redirect them; the giant arm suddenly flies up and slams its flattened palm to the ceiling where they had just been. Gasping in horror, Bendy can only gawk for a moment before he shakes his head, figuring he needed to do something soon. Edgar was struggling to maneuver around the tunnel as it was, meaning it was only a matter of time until the hand caught them.

“I HAVE AN IDEA! JUST KEEP MOVIN’ US!”

Edgar nods silently as Bendy nervously holds out his arm that wasn’t still holding onto the striker, now gritting his teeth. Below, the ink began to vibrate violently before the giant arm suddenly emerged again- only to get caught up in an impressive bubble of ink Bendy had summoned around it. Lifting his own arm then, he shoves it down one of the other dark halls sending the river creature flying in a massive wave down that direction.

Breathing heavily, Bendy blinks as Edgar slows them down to land them on top of a wooden beam structure that had an arch of decorative lights over it. Still not letting go, Bendy looks to him wildly only to find the striker’s face equally as shocked. Slowly then, it turned into a bewildered smile as the striker excalimed;

“We survived! And just… did you wash it away?? This adventure truly is wild!”

Bendy snorts, looking down at the ink that was still sloshing heavily against the walls of its containment from his wave.

“Y-yeah… could be a  _ little _ less wild fer me though…”

Edgar laughs a bit at that, looking ahead of them

“And here you were earlier, so excited with the carts? I suppose I could agree on that though…”

Looking above them, Bendy quietly catches his breath while admiring the lights. For whatever reason it seemed Joey had decided to use string lights instead of normal ones; it was beyond him, but it made the area almost pretty. Edgar seemed to have noticed too as he was now looking up with him and makes a comment;

“Almost reminds me of those tunnel rides for amusement parks…”

Bendy snorts, giving him a smug look

“What, ya mean those tunnels of love?”

Blinking and flustering, Edgar rubs the back of his head looking away into the distance

“Uh, I mean, I suppose so? I-I have never been in one myself, you see, from what I recall...”

Bendy laughs at the poor guy, gently patting his shoulder and leaning on him

“Hey hey, I ain’t judgin’! If ya like sappy stuff, it’s fine! But we should probably leave the reminiscin’ fer later, ‘cause that arm ain’t gonna be gone forever; we should keep goin’”

Nodding, Edgar takes the flashlight back clearly glad at the chance to avoid further embarrassment. Putting away the second grappling hook, he holds onto Bendy tightly once more preparing to swing away. 

Holding onto Edgar as well, Bendy braces for the swing as they take off back down the tunnel; this time however (even though it was still nerve wracking), he was almost enjoying it. The rhythmic pattern of swing and release as well as the comforting grasp of his friend made it less terrible. He’d probably get sleepy if they weren’t perilously flying over a river of ink that had a giant arm living in it. 

Looking to Edgar’s face as they swung, he could tell he was focusing pretty hard as his expression looked determined- it made him almost seem stoic. That is, until the striker catches Bendy staring at him and he flusters avoiding his gaze again. Bendy can’t help but smirk at that; it was far too easy to make him embarrassed for whatever reason. 

Soon enough, they came to the river boat platform where Edgar reels them quickly but safely down to solid ground. Grunting as their feet touch down, Bendy quickly lets go to flop and groan loudly

“Solid ground… how I missed ya!”

Edgar grins a bit at that, sounding amused

“It really wasn’t  _ that _ bad…”

Bendy lifts his head, giving him a look

“Say it fer yerself, pally, I ain’t made ta fly!”

Edgar simply shrugs, still smiling at him. Rolling his eyes back, Bendy gets up with a hop, dusting himself off and fixing his bowtie

“Alright… now we just gotta go down this hall right to their door!”

As he lifts his foot about to head that way, Edgar stops him mid-step with his extendable arm

“Hold on a moment; how can we be sure they will not assault us upon sight? From what you described, they are wary of outsiders…”

Frowning, Bendy slowly sets his foot down rubbing the back of his head

“Aw jeeze, yer right… they might freak out when they see us. Can ya snoop out ahead an’ see if they’re around yet?”

Frowning, Edgar shakes his head at him

“I do not wish to leave you alone. Too many things can happen when one is on their own here… I would know something about that.”

Bendy sighs and shrugs his shoulders with his arms crossed

“Well, guess we just gotta move on together then an’ hope they don’t kill us?”

Sighing with him, Edgar shrugs himself in defeat

“I suppose so…”

While walking down the inky hallways towards the hideout however, Bendy had forgotten that there were not-so-friendly searchers still in the studio. He was reminded this the hard way as several popped out and startled him, making him yell several times as Edgar quickly dashed them away with a sword he somehow had hid on himself. Cartoon logic, he figures.

Having stopped halfway, Bendy wheezes holding his chest as Edgar was busy fighting off several more searchers; why did they have to keep showing up?? About to turn and help, Bendy pauses as he hears something… hauntingly familiar. Staring blankly into space, he listens intently to what sounds like humming… humming he  _ knows _ .

Turning then feeling almost like he was in a trance, Bendy starts walking towards the barred metal door at the end of the hall forgetting about Edgar entirely. Echoing behind the door, he could hear a song that he’d heard many times before… but this time, it sounded like it was really  _ her. _

Slowly putting his hands on the door, Bendy tries to push and pull it open, but finds it was sealed shut tightly. Blinking and snapping from his trance, he becomes frustrated rattling the door a bit trying to get it open. On the other side, the humming had stopped likely because of his attempt to open the door. Frowning, he looks up at it wondering if he could break it off somehow…

That’s when he hears a not so pleasant noise; a threatening growl directly behind him that makes his spine crawl with fear. Turning sharply and slamming his back to the door, Bendy stares up at an incredibly angry looking ‘Boris’ who most certainly was  _ not _ Boris. He was gripping a rather intimidating axe in both hands (one of which was mechanical), and baring teeth that were pretty sharp. Swallowing, Bendy shrinks a bit against the door meekly squeaking in fear.

Suddenly however, a woman who looked fairly similar to Susie moves out from behind him while putting a hand on the ‘Boris’s shoulder as she speaks with a calm tone

“Would you look at  _ that _ … I’ve never seen a perfect copy of  _ him _ before…”

Blinking, Bendy realizes she meant the Ink demon, which makes him a bit grumpy; before he could say anything though, the ‘Boris’ steps forward still growling and making Bendy scramble and hold up his arms defensively, shaking terribly. The alice look alike quickly interjected however;

“Tom, leave him alone! He’s just a little cartoon! I doubt he could hurt you even if he  _ tried _ . Move away from him.”

To the little demon’s surprise, he sees that ‘Tom’ moves back actually listening to her, but snorts angrily as he does. The other ‘Alice’ he presumes she likely was turns to look down on him again before crouching and slowly offering her hand to him

“Hey now… it’s alright. We’re not going to hurt you. Where did you come from? You must’ve been scared, being alone in a place like this…”

Blinking, Bendy uncurls slowly now as he looks up at her almost forgetting the whole reason he’d come in the first place. Having someone be this nice to him was  _ rare _ , usually because the others knew what a little devil he was. Looking to her hand then her face a couple of times, he stares before realizing he was being treated like a stray cat. Though… instead of getting offended, part of him wanted to spite the grumpy ‘Tom’ Boris, giving him a terrible idea.

Taking her hand and staying quiet, Bendy closes his eyes before putting on quite the act; mustering the saddest expression he could, he receives the perfect reaction from her

“Oh, Tom, look at him! The poor thing!”

‘Tom’, however, seemed to think Bendy was anything BUT a ‘poor thing’; Bendy didn’t mind though as the pretty lady had scooped him up into her arms now and was holding him close. If there was one thing he liked more than bacon, attractive people, and being mischievous it was being cuddled; he’d never admit it on his life though.

“We can’t just leave him out here… we should bring him inside”

Tom gives quite the exasperated look at that before seeing Bendy giving him the smuggest face over Alice’s shoulder. Staring for a moment, he threateningly brandishes his axe again making Bendy cower for real this time and hide in the arms of Alice who shields him

“TOM! What has gotten into you?!”

Holding up his arms, he points aggressively at Bendy who can’t help it now; snickering loudly, he bursts out laughing

“HAHAHA! Oh man, ya  _ really _ got told!! Oh man, that was too good…”

Startled, Alice drops him making the little demon yell ‘OOF’ before she gasps putting her hands in front of her mouth

“O-Oh!- I’m sorry! I-I just didn’t think you could-”

“Speak? Yeah, lady, I ain’t a silent film… Owwww.”

Getting up disgruntled and rubbing his head, Bendy eyes Tom who was looking a bit smug now.

“Yeah, laugh it up ya brute…”

Squinting at Tom, Alice puts an arm in front of him before sighing, looking down to Bendy once more

“How did you find this place? And where did you  _ come _ from??”

Blinking, Bendy shakes his head with a sigh

“Lady, that is a  _ long _ story… but I came fer you guys! I knew where ta go ‘cause of Henry! I’m here ta bring ya back with me!” 

Pausing for a moment, Bendy processes his own words 

“...An’ I just realized that isn’t gonna make any sense or sound right ‘cause ya haven’t met him yet this time… oh boy-”

Getting an axe and sword brandished at his lack of a throat, Bendy holds up his arms in surrender as he slams his back to the door again. Sweating, Alice berates him now

“Who is this  _ Henry _ , and how did he know where we were?! Why does he want us?! Are you working for the Ink demon?!”

Making a face, Bendy looks offended

“Lady, how DARE ya even SUGGEST I’d work with that- that- UGH I hate that guy!”

Moving her sword closer, Bendy sweats as she narrows her eyes

“Answer the question! Who is Henry, and how did he know where our hideout was?! Why do you want us to go with you, and why would we  _ ever- _ ”

“Alright, alright! Just stop threatenin’ ta skewer me an’ i’ll explain!! Look, He’s an old artist who used ta work here an’ he’s really harmless an’ mushy an’ friendly! He knows ya because he’s met ya over an’ over again, but everytime he reaches the Ink demon’s lair, it resets things! Goes in circles!”

Staring now, Alice leans back letting her sword slowly fall to her side; but Tom was still keeping Bendy pinned to the door with his axe.

“Circles?… it… it makes a bit of sense. We’ve been trapped here, going in  _ circles _ …”

She glares at Bendy again however

“How can we trust what you’re saying is true? And what do you mean meet  _ again? _ ...”

Sighing, Bendy was the one who looked exasperated now

“‘Cause I knew how ta find ya fer one thing; not exactly an open thing people know! A-Also, the gold messages! Ya have that viewin’ device, right?? You’ve been runnin’ ‘round readin’ them! I couldn’t know that if it wasn’t true! An’ I told ya already, everytime Henry reaches the end, it puts everythin’ back at the start!”

Staring a bit in surprise, Alice warily moves Tom’s arm away making Bendy sigh in relief and slide to the floor. She eyes him, not quite trusting him still

“How did you?… I guess you’re telling at least some truth, possibly... have we really just been doing the same thing on repeat?...”

Bendy looks up to her, rubbing the back of his head

“Yeah. ‘cept, not this time. Somethin’ happened, an’ it’s all been changin’; Henry’s been formin’ a resistance team, ‘cause we’re plannin’ ta break out for  _ real _ this time! An’ we need you guys with us!”

The two looked to each other before Alice looks down on him curiously

“A resistance? Who does it consist of?”

Getting up finally, Bendy eyes Tom warily as he speaks

“Well, Henry is the unofficial leader… we also got Sammy the music director, Norman the projectionist, Susie the uh… well, Susie, Boris, an’ the butcher gang. At least, a sort-of butcher gang...”

Alice looked almost impressed as he’d listed the names, even Tom seeming interested in a few of them. Behind the two however, Bendy realizes where Edgar had gone this whole time; he was currently holding onto the ceiling with his grapple hook and looking down with concern. Alice shakes her head, crossing her arms

“That sounds so hard to believe… How did you convince them to join you? Especially  _ Sammy _ ...”

Smirking, Bendy smiles a bit

“Well, it wasn’t easy, that’s fer sure… but they’re not bad folk ta have around! I kinda like ‘em! Actually, you can meet one of ‘em right now too! But uh… please don’t freak out an’ try ta kill him? Please?” 

Both Tom and Alice looked confused before Bendy walks past them, looking up to Edgar

“You can come down now, yer not  _ really _ a spider...”

Nervously, Edgar reels down pulling the grapple free and retracting it as he stares up at the pair before them. He was particularly interested in staring at Alice.

“It is… interesting to meet you.”

Tom looked ready to fight again, but Alice places a hand on his arm shaking her head before looking to Edgar curiously

“So… you want me to believe you’re... what? A friendly striker?”

Bendy snorts, smirking again

“I dunno about friendly- OOF”

Edgar had elbowed him before nervously looking at Tom who was squinting, talking a bit quickly to defend himself

“Yes! I mean- I suppose! I-I know I may not  _ look _ like an ally, but I assure you I am not a threat. I only fight to protect myself and others”

Sighing, Alice was about to speak when an ominous echo down the hall makes her and Tom tense up a bit

“Right- we can talk more, but we should at least get inside where it’s safe; it’s not out here.”

Tom didn’t seem thrilled at the idea of having them as ‘company’, but he didn’t put up any active protest at least. Nervously looking down the dark hall, Bendy moves close to Edgar’s side 

“If scary Boris and Alice are scared, then I am too”

Edgar looked unnerved as well which didn’t help, moving close as he dared to the others as Alice turned to the door

“I’ll unlock the door; just give me a second…”

Opening it after a moment's struggle with its lock mechanisms, she pushes it open with a loud metallic squeak. Without hesitating, Bendy dashed to safety past all of them; However, once inside, he freezes again as he can very clearly hear a cheery voice call out rather sing-songingly:

“He-llo~! Welcome back! I heard so much commotion outside the door it was making me nervous- i’m glad everything is alright!”

Feeling stupefied, Bendy simply stands wall-eyed and staring into space trying to comprehend if he’d heard the voice right. Then, unmistakably, he hears singing he’d know  _ anywhere _ ...

“ _ I’m just a lonely an-gel~! Sittin’ here on a shelf… Sometimes it seemed, if I just dreamed, I’d not be by myselllf~! I never gave up ho-ping~ That you would come alooooong~ How bleak it seemed- _ ”

“ _ ‘Till we did meet, and sang a lovely soooong~ _ ”

Having supplied his own part to the song, Bendy was positively beaming as he hears a gasp from around the wall before continuing to sing:

“ _ Oh you’re my angel, sent from heaven above, a little angel, cast down for me to love! I’ll be your devil, ya fit me just like a glove~ There ain’t no prayer to save ya, my baby~! _ ”

Positively beaming, he moves closer to the wall as he sings

“ _We’ve both been waitin’~ and I’ve been so alone! But i’m somebody, you can call yer own!_ _So be my Angellll~ and sing a little prayer for meee!~_ ”

By the doorway, he noticed the others had come inside and re-locked the door- though Edgar was staring silently. Bendy had forgotten about them entirely, stopping his singing now and feeling a bit embarrassed because they were all staring at him. However, he soon forgets once again as a few dainty foot steps revealed the person Bendy had been longing for quite some time to see again…

“Bendy! I-It’s you! The  _ real _ you, and not that scary monster!”

Already swooning a little, Bendy beams up at none other than the  _ real _ Alice Angel; not some clone or imitation, but  _ her! _

“Oh Alice, ya have no idea how much I can  _ relate _ to that…”

Laughing with delight, she scoops him up into the most heavenly embrace that had the little demon reeling. Squeezing him tightly, she nuzzles his face leaving Bendy practically melted in her arms

“Ohhh, it’s so  _ good _ to see you! I was worried you were out there with all the scary things… but now you’re  _ here! _ Safe and sound!”

“Ehehehhe,, yeaaah…”

The other Alice snorts a bit at that, making Bendy remember other people were watching again. Other Alice was smiling with an expression he figured should be reserved for looking at cute animals, and even Tom was smiling a bit. Flustering heavily then, he tugs his bowtie

“A-ah hah, Uh, right; I-I actually came here for uh, a reason!”

Looking confused, Alice tilts her head making her halo floating over her follow. Gosh, she was so  _ cute _ and  _ innocent! _ How could she have ended up  _ here?! _ His thoughts were interrupted by the surprisingly monotone and unamused sounding voice of Edgar however;

“Please, put him down. We must discuss a few important matters, and I do not believe he can function otherwise.”

Chuckling, Alice slowly puts him down though Bendy had to hold himself back from looking completely pathetic and begging her to not. Edgar was right though; there wasn’t any way in inky Hell he’d be able to focus otherwise. Coughing a bit, he crosses his arms behind his back turning to the others

“Right; the reason we came here… I wanna recruit you guys fer the resistance! We need everyone we can get, an’ that means you guys too!”

Next to him, Alice claps her hands together

“Ohh, a resistance! How exciting!! We’re fighting back the evil of this place?”

Bendy clenches his teeth trying not to fawn over her, because DANGIT, she was being cute again! Darn Angels and their innocent optimism!!

“Y-Yeah. An’ not just that, but we’re gettin’ outta here too! We need to get everyone home!”

Other Alice crosses her arms then, looking to Tom who shakes his head a bit which makes her roll her eyes before she looks to Bendy

“Tom doesn’t trust you still. He thinks you’re going to lead us into a trap.”

Bendy slumps, looking unamused before perking right back up as Alice chuckles and speaks again

“Little Bendy? He’s mischievous, but he’s not mean spirited! He’d never hurt an innocent person!”

At this point, cartoon hearts were clearly floating off him as he was swooning over Alice who didn’t seem to notice as she was looking at the rest of the group. Edgar, however, clearly had and he seemed… irritated about it. Bendy shakes his head, the hearts popping as he gives him a questioning look. What was his problem? Was he lonely so he was being bitter and jealous? Either way, he tries to focus back on the topic at hand as other Alice speaks

“I don’t know… I trust you Alice, but… okay, it’s still weird having to share a name, we should fix that at some point.  _ Anyways _ , I trust you, but i’m not sure if we can trust  _ Bendy _ . How can you tell he’s not some deceptive clone?”

Bendy gives her an offended look, but frankly, she wasn’t wrong; he was kind of a clone who had popped out of the Ink demon in a sense, and he wasn’t 100% honest with everything. Even Henry still didn’t know everything. Alice cools his irritation easily however as she looks down at him with a smile

“Oh, a clone wouldn’t be so cuddly and happy to see me~ And, he remembered what he sang when we first met! I’m certain we can trust him!”

Bendy flusters again feeling swoony, but he had to try and not to get distracted again

“Right! If we take ya to the group, then you can talk to them about it! I’m just here ta bring ya with us!”

Tom crosses his arms, giving a loud snort; Other Alice frowns, looking down for a moment

“He still doesn’t trust you… but…”

Everyone turned their attention to her as she looks to Bendy

“...I do. At least, for now. If what you say is true… then we have a  _ real _ chance at getting out of here! Something  _ real _ to cling on to... and that hope is worth taking a chance for.”

She looks to Tom smiling warmly, the grumpy wolf sighing heavily and slumping in response before gently hugging her and closing his eyes. Happily, she hugged him back making Bendy actually think they made a pretty good couple. Next to him, Alice seemed to think so too as she wipes one of her eyes

“Oh… it’s so sweet!”

Grinning, Bendy shrugs a bit

“Yeaaaah… but not as sweet as you an’ me!”

At that, Alice’s expression faltered a little as she looked away. What? Was she upset about something?? Staring at her questioningly, Bendy kept wondering as she quietly sighs before smiling again

“I’m just glad to see you again, Bendy. So… how are we going to get back to your friends, then?”

Still wondering what had been left unsaid, he ponders the other problem; how  _ were _ they going to get back?? Edgar, however, answers for him sounding a little curt for once...

“We can take the tunnel back at the town of lost ones. We will simply have to get there, then walk back up.”

Bendy turns to Other Alice and Tom raising a brow

“That’s definitely one way, but we got a problem… do ya guys have a way to get through the river without that giant hand grabbin’ us?”

Looking puzzled, the two share a look before other Alice questions him back

“A...giant hand? I have no idea what you’re talking about…”

Staring back at her, Bendy gives her a look of disbelief

“Really?! It left  _ you _ alone?! That is  _ so _ unfair…”

Other Alice shrugs looking to the door with a frown 

“We can take the river back and find your friends, but we should wait at least a while here first. The Ink demon is close… I can feel it.”

Blinking, Bendy closes his eyes then carefully letting his own supernatural sense float around them. Nearby, he could definitely feel it; cold traces of hatred and shadows left by the Ink demon. He’d been right above them not too long ago. Shivering, he rubs his arms frowning, making Alice Angel look at him with concern

“Yer right… we should stay fer a bit.”

Yawning then, Bendy finds himself feeling rather tired all of a sudden; it had been a long ‘day’ (he had no idea if time was actually passing in this place still), and he was exhausted again. Edgar sighs, looking up to Other Alice

“Would you mind if we slept, then? We have journeyed rather far and spent a lot of energy doing so...”

“Of course; we have a spare bed, but someone is going to have to share…”

Bendy looks to Alice at that mention, but he notices Edgar had glanced at him. Raising an eyebrow, Edgar rolls his eye looking away. Alice simply chuckles, smiling

“I think Bendy and his friend are small enough to fit on one!”

Feeling defeated by that, Bendy sighs and slumps a bit

“Yeah… guess we can.”

Edgar still wasn’t looking at him; why should he be offended?? Bendy wanted to cuddle with Alice! Before any drama could unfold though, a loud growl noise makes everyone blink and look at Tom who seemed embarrassed. Other Alice snickers a bit then, making the tough wolf look embarrassed

“Before bed though, how about some food first?”

Bendy perks up at that, quite ready to eat himself

“Ohh, that’s a great idea! Let’s eat!”


	27. Dare to Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a disturbing nightmare, Henry is left with confused feelings and worry- especially when he finds out Bendy is missing. However, convinced by Boris to wait for the others to search for him, someone else lurking below has a few thoughts to themself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: vague mention of drowning/nightmare imagery (it's very mild I promise)

* * *

Warmth.

It was strong, but pleasant warmth that felt safe and relaxing. All around, bird song filled the air as a soft cool breeze brushed through what felt like grass he was laying in, and ruffled his hair. He could smell flowers, and it felt like everything around him was full of life; it must be spring. 

Slowly opening his eyes, Henry blinks a few times as he finds himself laying in the greenest, softest grass he’d ever seen; above him, the sky was an even more vibrant blue. Scattered white clouds were speeding away with the breeze, occasionally blocking the sunlight making the world dim only to light up again as they moved away.

Sighing softly, Henry felt as if he could close his eyes and stay forever when he gets the nagging feeling he wasn’t alone. Sitting up now, Henry looks around before he pauses at seeing a small wooden table covered by a white tablecloth nearby with two chairs. Sitting at one of them was a man he knew all too well was gazing off into the distance... that is, until he addresses him without looking.

“It’s about time you woke up. Come… won’t you sit with me?”

Staring silently for a moment, Henry slowly forces himself off the grass with a grunt before walking over to the empty chair. Sinking into it, he stares at none other than Joey Drew who had a teacup on a plate in one hand, the other resting on his lap as he stared off silently. Raising an eyebrow, Henry slowly gazes off with him

“What are you doing here?... and… where is  _ here? _ ”

Joey snorts a bit before turning his gaze on Henry, who meets it; his eyes were always rather hypnotizing, a deep blue to the point it was almost unnatural.

“Always so full of questions, old friend… why not just enjoy it? You always did insist things were moving too fast… why not slow down for a while?”

Henry stares at him silently still before sighing softly and looking away again

“I suppose it  _ is _ lovely here… I haven’t seen color or felt the world so…  _ alive _ in a while. It’s been too long…”

Ceramic clinking brought Henry’s attention back to the table, watching as Joey was pouring a second cup now and putting just the right amount of sugar and milk; it seemed he somehow remembered Henry’s preference. If he was real, that is. Offering the cup now, Henry gently takes it looking at his own reflection in the cup. Sepia toned… like a mirror back to the world he was trapped in. Furrowing his brow then, he looks to Joey once more

“...Why? Why did you do it?”

Joey frowns a bit, slowly looking to him almost confused

“Again, the questions… Henry, I haven’t a clue what you’re going on about most of the time; you already  _ know _ why… you’ve simply forgotten.”

Baffled by that answer, Henry frowns and closes his eyes as the wind brushes past them both.

“I… guess my memories have been slipping away from me… it seems like the more I try to hold on, the more I lose. Like trying to hold water in my hands…”

Or ink, for that matter. 

Giving a quiet ‘hmm’ of thought, he could tell Joey was rubbing his chin without having to look

“Memories can be tricky to hold on to, or remember without twisting them… but isn’t it easier to forget? It would make it easier to let go… at least, that’s what many have told me.”

Henry opens his eyes again, looking down into his cup still frowning

“But if we forget, then we learn nothing. Memories teach us to be who we are…”

Watching the wind make his tea ripple, Henry sighs softly

“Though, holding on to  _ everything _ from the past isn’t good either…memories shouldn’t be forgotten. Just… learned from as we move on.”

Joey solemnly tilts his head, still looking into the distance. They both sat in silence for the moment, pondering what was said before Joey slowly speaks up again

“Who  _ are _ we Henry?  _ What _ are we? As far as the world is concerned, we don’t exist…”

Gripping his cup a bit then, Henry looks at him

“That’s not true. There will be those who remember us. We’re still alive in memory; a collected experience over time in people’s minds, and our own. As long as someone remembers us, we can’t disappear...”

Joey sets his cup down then, looking to Henry with the same solemn expression

“If we’re just a collection of memories… then soon enough, there won’t be an ‘us’ anymore, will there? Do you really think there are many left who will remember us, Henry?... And if they do, won’t they twist the memories and get ‘us’ wrong? We’re fading away like an old photograph, my dear friend...”

Almost shocked at the statement, Henry defiantly stands up knocking his chair back as his cup falls to the grass with a loud clatter spilling it 

“No! I’m going to hold on to hope no matter how long it takes, or how hard it gets! I’m not giving up. Someone has to be looking for us; someone has to notice, and they’ll find us! I won’t let go…”

Joey smirks a bit then, raising an eyebrow

“Funny… doesn’t it seem hypocritical how you’ve been telling  _ me _ to let go, yet you won’t yourself?...”

“I-It’s different! It’s not the same! I’m not obsessed with a false dream- or the past! I’m trying to move forward!”

Joey’s sympathy seemed to disappear, his expression turning apathetic

“Really? Is that so? Face it, Henry; If anything, you’re holding on to your past and clinging to a false dream as much as  _ /I/ _ am. The only difference is my past is the studio, and yours is your family! My dream was to leave a great influence behind, and yours… an unreachable freedom. In the end, you and I are the same, Henry.”

Staring, Henry found he couldn’t speak; his throat had tightened, and suddenly he didn’t feel so comfortable or warm. Looking down at his hands, he finds they had turned into black ink making him gasp and try to shake it off. Looking up, Joey was gone; a wheelchair was left where his chair had been as the wind starts to blow harder. It was rusted, and ink was dripping off it… the ‘ground’ under it had become shambling floorboards slowly bleeding into the grass. The world was going gray now, thick storm clouds covering the sky as the atmosphere was draining of comfort.

A drop on Henry’s face causes him to look up before touching it... wiping the drop away, he looks at his hand finding it was ink. Without warning, it started to downpour ink flooding the world around him. Attempting to move or find higher ground, Henry found his legs had become rooted to the ground. Crying out for help uselessly, he can only yell as he drowned in the inky flood.

-

Gasping awake, Henry sits up in the infirmary bed only to find the same record playing that had been when he’d first come to after the elevator crash. Feeling groggy, he wonders how much time had passed since then; it felt like time was endless here, yet able to go faster or slower on a whim. 

Blearily gazing at the record player, he wondered who kept playing it while he was sleeping… what was the intention with that? A small puddle of ink under it made him guess it must’ve been a lost one doing it.

Sighing, he rubs the back of his neck a bit before looking around the room; it was currently dark and empty besides him. He wonders what the others were up to, but especially where Bendy was- usually, the little demon liked napping on him. In truth, Henry actually wished he were there now as he found his cartoon companion’s presence to be rather comforting.

Slowly, he slides his legs over the side of the bed feeling achy; the pain felt old though, as if he had finally managed to recover from the Ink demon’s wounds. Standing to test the theory, Henry finds he had his strength back and could move with minimal problems. That was at least one relief for him.

Stretching carefully so as not to test how much he’d healed too soon, he pokes his head from the doorway of the infirmary to look around. Outside, the general lighting had been dimmed to simulate a kind of ‘night time’ apparently and was generally much less active. The lost ones tried using the lights to have some sort of day and night cycle to at least imitate some normalcy in their underground home. Currently, very few were out and about as most had retired to rest.

Thinking about going for a walk, Henry flinches as a hand touches his shoulder; turning quickly, he comes face to face with a surprised Boris.

“O-Oh- sorry, buddy… I didn’t know you were there.”

Boris gives him a concerned look before signing to him

‘Is everything alright? It seemed like you had a nightmare…’

Blinking, Henry realizes he must’ve been in the infirmary the whole time with him; it made sense, after all. Sighing softly, he smiles reassuringly

“Just a small nightmare… it’s nothing to worry about.”

Boris seemed unconvinced, but didn’t press to Henry’s relief; what would the others say if they found he was dreaming about Joey? He felt it was probably best left unsaid, as it would create unneeded tension that would only add to their already poor situation. 

Blinking then, Henry turns to Boris

“Hey- do you know where Bendy is?”

Boris glances away, looking a bit nervous as he folds his hands together. Frowning, Henry takes a step towards him

“Boris… what’s going on? Where’s Bendy?”

Slowly, the wolf raises his hands to sign;

‘We don’t know. He disappeared a bit ago while you were resting... and we can’t find him. It’s been a couple day-night cycles’

Staring, Henry glances back to the door of the infirmary feeling an urge to go running and looking for Bendy. How long had he been out? Had he really been sleeping  _ that _ long?? Boris catches on however, quickly blocking the door and holding out his arms. Still frowning, Henry meets his eye

“Boris… let me out. I have to find him.”

Boris shakes his head, giving him a pleading look. Staring him down in a standoff, Henry considers forcing his way out of the room... but he didn’t want to potentially hurt Boris or himself in an unnecessary scuffle. Feeling defeated, Henry sighs

“...Why don’t you want to let me out?”

Slowly, Boris moves his arms to sign but keeps the door blocked with his body

‘You’re not fully healed, and you could get lost or hurt. Please don’t leave alone! And maybe wait until morning?’

Henry looks down at his chest where the Ink demon had torn into it; that incident felt like so long ago. Touching the bandages gently, he closes his eyes giving a soft sigh through his nose

“...alright, fine. I’ll wait until everyone is awake… but then i’m taking a team to find Bendy. I just hope wherever he is, he’s okay…”

Boris whines a little, hanging his head; he likely missed the little demon too. Gently patting the quiet wolf on the head, he perks up a little

“Alright, buddy… why not the  _ both _ of us get some rest? You need to sleep too.”

Nodding, he happily strolls over to a hammock he’d managed to set up in the cramped infirmary room somehow, flopping into it eagerly. Feeling like he could definitely relate, Henry sinks back onto the bed before closing his eyes with a deep exhale. He hoped, for once, he wouldn’t dream this time…

-

Quietly, the halls creaked with age and the pressure of ink leaking through them; darkness hid most of them, and it was the perfect grounds to lurk. Murky shadows seeped over the walls, an ambient heartbeat echoing ominously with a rhythmic struggle of footsteps as one foot moved forward and the other dragged over the floor. 

Slowly, it began to create a sort of beat in the echoing hall, the Ink demon bobbing his head with it; drag, and stamp. Drag, and stamp; the heart beat slowed to match its beating with each sound.

Chuckling darkly to himself, the Ink demon holds himself taller, throwing his arms out to both sides of himself in a grand gesture; Then, in his terrible voice, he began to sing to himself:

(To the whistling Bendy theme tune:)

“ _ Henry, Joey, Can’t you see?~ This old place is misery! _

_ No one’s soul will be set free, And it’s thanks to me! _

_ The suff-ring’s only just begun, Your blinding pain is so much fun!~ _

_ I won’t give up until it’s done, nowhere you can run! _

_ You will pay for both your sins, By the demon’s GRIN!~ _ ”

The malicious lyrics echoing and dying out, the Ink demon finds himself filling the emptiness with more of his devilish laughter. They would both pay, and pay dearly. Everyone who dared to have hope in such a place would. Oh, if only they could know it, just how futile their fate was! Thinking they were in control, yet the strings all lead behind a hidden door that only  _ one _ could enter.

Throwing his head back, the Ink demon lets out a horrific howl of glee making the walls shake; as if on cue, ink started bursting and flooding the hall in which he stood. How terrible, how horrible he would show them this place truly was! For it’s what they deserve for daring to have ever given a demon life! Soon, so very soon, they would  _ finally _ learn true regret after so many painful cycles. Soon, it would round out to an ending he’d scrape into the script himself...

Slowly sinking back into his hunched posture, the Ink demon looks down into the flood he’d wrought upon the dark halls. Everywhere he went, everything he touched… it would all drown in black, never to be seen again. This studio was going to suffer, and he was going to make sure no part of it  _ ever _ saw the light of day again; he vowed this to himself, that he will take them all down with him.

But right now… he had a bratty fake to find, who would lead him right to their unfortunate ‘creator’...


	28. How Many Angels Does it Take?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a rude awakening, Henry finds himself with more angels than they'd started with along with confusing tensions; where did they come from, and how many toons were there in the studio to still find? Regardless, after a somewhat tense exchange the team gains new members and Bendy learns that life is more than the written script he remembers...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: None
> 
> Notes: only one drawing this update for chapter 29; sorry it took so long, I got sick again last weekend and these chapters were a LOT longer than usual so it took longer to edit! I hope you guys enjoy them nontheless! :D

* * *

“ _ Pssst. Henry! Wake up! _ ”

Groaning, Henry blearily opens his eyes a bit feeling confused; who was whispering to him? Lifting his head a bit, he glances over to find Sammy crouched by the bed, his face looking rather concerned. Slowly waking up more, Henry props himself up on one arm

“Sammy?... what’s goin’ on?...”

Sammy glances to the doorway before looking back to Henry rather tensely

“There’s some woman calling herself Alice with a  _ really  _ aggressive Boris looking for you. I don’t know why, but I don’t think it’s good; that Boris clone looks  _ mean _ ” 

Blinking, Henry sits up fully now looking to the doorway

“Tom? Alice and Tom??”

Sammy gave him a confused look before tensing again as they could hear a woman’s voice call out

“Where’s Henry? I need to talk to him.”

Henry could hear the crackly southern voice of Norman respond near the doorway

“What’re you so antsy ta find him for, huh? You gonna try somethin’ to harm ‘im?”

Henry sighs, clasping both hands over his face in exasperation

“Oh no… there’s been a misunderstanding…”

Sammy raises an eyebrow at him

“What? What do you mean?”

Struggling a bit to get up out of tangled sheets, Henry moves past Sammy who scrambles up and after him

“W-wait!! What if they’re dangerous?! Henry, slow down!”

He ignores the music director however, strolling right past a surprised Norman before coming face to face with Alice. Sure enough, it was her and Tom; how did they find them here?

“I’m Henry. How did you know to look for me? I was going to go looking for  _ you _ …”

Before Alice can respond however, someone else pops out from behind her that startles Henry

“Ohhhh!  _ This _ is Henry? You helped create me, right? It’s so nice to meet you!”

Dumbfounded, Henry was trying to process that the  _ actual _ Alice Angel had just greeted him. And was currently standing right in front of him. Meeting Boris the first time had been shocking enough, Bendy no less; and now this? He wonders if living cartoons would ever become  _ normal _ to him. Right now, he most certainly figures not.

“Y-you’re… Alice. But like,  _ actual _ Alice-“

Suddenly, Bendy pops up onto her shoulder making the angel giggle with amusement as the little demon was positively beaming.

“Isn’t this great, Henry?! I found her an’ the others for ya!! I mean, I meant to just find the other two, but Alice is one  _ hell _ of a bonus!”

Henry felt relieved and glad to see Bendy was safe, but he shakes his head off a bit looking to… other? Alice? He’d have to fix this first; it was going to get confusing fast.

“Alright, this isn’t going to work… look; Alice… uh, not angel Alice. Is it alright if I call you Allison?”

Blinking a few times, ‘Alice’ looks conflicted before turning to Tom who also seemed a bit surprised. Slowly, she responds

“I.. suppose so. Why does that sound familiar?...”

Sammy suddenly bumps against Henry’s shoulder as he presses against it from behind, pointing at her over it as if he was shielding himself with Henry. Charming.

“Wait! That’s who she is?! Allison Pendle?? I thought you’d left the studio with your fiancé Thomas Connor! At least, that’s what Susie said...”

Staring blankly, both Tom and Allison exchange a look before turning back to Sammy. Raising an eyebrow, Allison questions him;

“I’m sorry… what did you say?”

Sammy crouches a bit behind Henry defensively, but it seemed ridiculous considering

“You were the new voice actor for Alice, but when the studio was falling apart you eloped with your Gent worker fiancé Tom. At least, if you’re  _ actually _ her…”

Holding her head now, Allison seemed confused but Alice Angel chimed in cheerfully

“Oh! You gave me my wonderful voice? Thank you!”

Bendy snorts at that, looking smug

“I think she’s havin’ a life crisis right now, doll…”

Alice looked concerned then, turning to Allison

“Oh no! Are you alright??”

Henry can’t help but pinch his brow at the situation; there were a lot of Alice’s to deal with now, weren’t there? On top of which, Tom and Allison were now indeed looking like they were having life crises, there was now yet  _ another _ cartoon character with them, and the first Alice they’d met was ink in a jar- not to mention he’d just gotten out of bed. Behind Henry, Sammy shrugs giving him a ‘not my fault’ look. Sighing, he looks to Allison

“Hey… you alright? I think this is… a lot for all of us to take in. If you need a moment, we don’t  _ have _ to talk right away…”

Shaking her head, she looks Henry in the eye

“No- no. It’s fine. Just… I guess I’m glad to at least have a name again. I definitely have some thinking i’ll need to do  _ later _ … but we can talk first.”

Norman slowly crosses his arms then, looking to Tom while gesturing with a thumb at him

“Man, what happened to  _ him _ ? If I recall, you were grouchier than  _ Sammy _ even, an’ now yer a cartoon wolf. Funny how a big tough guy got turned into a cartoon… heh.”

Tom snapped out of his daze at that, starting to growl which made Norman take a defensive stance. Allison quickly held her arm out in front of Tom however, giving him a look. He quickly stops, but huffs through his nose at Norman as Allison spoke again

“Anyways… Your little uh… demon friend said you knew us? And that you’re forming a resistance. I want to know if we can trust you, because if we can…”

She looks to Tom who smirks back, patting his axe to his mechanical hand with a loud clink

“...then we want to help.”

Henry blinked at that before smiling; perhaps Bendy had done them a big favor going off like that, but how did he convince them to come all this way?

“Of course; we need everyone we can get more than ever. I can explain everything, but I should probably start with the whole ‘knowing you’ thing to make it feel less strange…”

Taking time to explain the situation, Allison and Tom only looked more and more impressed and horrified at the details of their little ‘adventure’ to gather everyone. Frankly, he didn’t blame them; especially when detailing the involvement of the Ink demon. When describing how he’d managed to ‘reform’ the others, Allison curiously looked to Sammy who was trying to be sneaky about getting mushy with Norman. Smirking a bit, she gestures with her head their way

“How did you do that? You managed to snap him out of… whatever that cult obsession was,  _ and _ make him look more normal physically?”

Henry sighs, smiling at Sammy cuddling with Norman; the projectionist quickly betrayed the sweetness of it however as he scoops the yelling music director off the floor, dipping him dramatically to embarrass him. Distantly, he could hear Sammy yelling “NORMAN PUT ME DOWN!! I MEAN IT, THIS ISN’T FUNNY- NORMAN!!”

Shaking his head, Henry responds still watching the other two

“I don’t know, actually… I just got lucky I guess. I managed to get them to follow me with the incentive of not  _ dying _ . Kind of a hard offer to pass… Everything else just sort of… happened.”

Tom snorted at that while Allison raises an eyebrow smiling at him, crossing her arms

“Yeah, I suppose… but I think it’s more than that. Henry… you gave them something  _ else _ .”

Gesturing her hand out, she huffs with a smile of slight disbelief

“I mean, just look at them! They’re actually motivated to cooperate and work together. If anything… you gave them  _ hope _ .”

Henry blinks, staring at her for a moment before turning his gaze to Tom who gives him an affirmative nod. Rubbing the back of his neck, Henry looks over to Norman who was apologetically hugging Sammy now while getting his face shoved away defiantly by the pouty music director.

“Hope… do you think so? I’ve been trying to keep everyone together, but…”

Allison shrugs, looking to Tom while still smiling

“It’s not impossible; bringing people together, helping them feel like they have a chance at something  _ real _ in this place… that’s pretty inspiring. Meeting Tom helped give me something to hold onto… and you gave them something too. I’m not sure if it’s each other, a chance to leave, something to do, or just leadership in general- but you definitely helped.”

Henry pondered that while turning his attention now to Boris excitedly greeting Alice and Bendy, hugging them both; it was incredibly heartwarming to watch. Had he really had such a large part in bringing them together, or was it chance? 

Nearby, Edgar had also returned to the other two butcher gang members who excitedly were greeting him- Charley with his loudness and rough affection, Barley in his own quiet manner. Looking to the jar on Edgar’s belt though, Henry frowns

“...but I haven’t fixed everything. Some things are worse…”

Allison gave him a questioning look at that

“What do you mean?”

Sighing, Henry turns to her with a solemn look

“You’ve been wondering where the other  _ other _ Alice is, haven’t you?... the first voice actor?”

Allison blinks, looking around a bit then

“Now that you mention it… a bit. Did something happen?”

Looking to Edgar again, Henry points

“See that jar on the striker’s belt? The one with a glowing light in some ink?...”

“Yeah?...”

“That’s… well, that’s her soul. That’s what’s left of her.”

Both Tom and Allison stare then, looking rather shocked; Henry couldn’t blame them. The mere thought of someone melting and having their remains in a jar didn’t sound right, regardless of the context.

“What… happened to her?”

“I don’t know exactly… it happened so suddenly, and was… inexplicable. She had been using bits and pieces of other living things in the studio, and in the end it just made her more unstable. Literally. She couldn’t stop melting when we convinced her to stop, and…”

Sighing again, Henry looks down

“...I feel like it was my fault somehow. I tried having Bendy help her because he’d managed to help me before, but… it was like watching an exorcism almost. Everything holding her together was ripped out, and well… yeah.”

Allison frowns at that, furrowing her brow; Tom sighs through his nose shaking his head as he looks down. Tapping a finger to her chin in thought, Allison stares at the jar

“But it couldn’t have been just that?… She was melting already from what you said, and I recall hearing her rants about upkeeping her beauty when sneaking around for supplies. I think you just sped up what was going to happen anyways. There has to be a way to fix her, right?...”

Henry looks to her curiously then

“That’s what I was hoping for… but I just don’t know. It almost seems impossible, but we’re not going to give up on her just because it’s hard. Even if a little bit of her soul is missing, we’re trying.”

Allison gave him another questioning look at that

“Really? A bit of her soul? That’s... awful. I remember someone saying the soul is what makes you who you  _ are _ \- it’s the basis for life itself. Missing a piece would be like feeling… well, feeling like you’re missing a piece. Which makes sense in her case... maybe if we found it…”

She goes quiet in thought again before musing out loud

“Maybe if we found it, we could put her back together and she wouldn’t feel so incomplete…”

Henry closes his eyes, thinking about it

“I suggested looking for it earlier, but we haven’t been able to move on yet; a lot of us were recovering from the Ink demon. But I think it might be our best bet for her…we’ll definitely have to try”

Letting her arms drop back to her sides, Allison turns to Henry with a determined smile

“Well, Henry, you can count on us to help. What do you think, Tom? Can we trust them?”

Henry nervously glances at Tom, knowing it wasn’t easy to get  _ him _ to let his guard down. Crossing his arms, Tom was eyeing Henry intensely making the old artist sweat a little. It felt almost like his mind was being read and interrogated. Slowly then, Tom closes his eyes giving a long sigh as his head tilts downward before giving a curt nod and smiling to Allison who smiles back.

“Then it’s settled; you can count us in your resistance.”

Henry sighs in relief, smiling then

“I’m glad to hear that! I’m sure if you spend time with the others you’ll bond and gain back some memories like they have already. Sammy seems to be getting a good amount of his; maybe he can help you find yourself as he does?”

Allison tilts her head in wonder 

“It would be nice to be able to remember…”

Slowly, Tom takes her hand giving her a sad look; Allison smiles at him, standing on her toes briefly to give him a peck on the nose that makes him flinch. Laughing a bit, she beams at the now very embarrassed wolf. Henry can’t help but smile himself; seeing people being happy with one another made him feel a lot less alone. Being able to keep something as fragile as love alive in this place… well, that was an accomplishment in itself.

Nearby, he hears a wistful sigh that causes him to turn his attention- Alice Angel had her hands clasped and was smiling longingly at Allison and Tom. Raising an eyebrow, Henry watches as Bendy notices, the little demon clearly thinking of trying to make a move of his own by the way he was fixing his bowtie. Lord, he’d forgotten how utterly ridiculous the cartoons made Bendy act over her.

“Whatcha thinkin’ there, Alice?”

“Oh, it’s just so sweet… I love romance!”

Boris smiles himself, looking like even he was thinking about it. Bendy gently nudges Alice’s leg, causing her to look down as he winks at her

“Well, now that we found each other, you can have allll the romance ya want! No need ta ask, really~”

However, Henry notices her expression seemed to say… otherwise. Looking a bit troubled, she sighed again, but this time not so wistfully. Looking confused, Bendy raises a brow at her with a visible question mark. That was another thing Henry felt he wouldn’t be able to get used to.

“What? Why the sigh  _ again _ ? Alice, if I didn’t know better, i’d say you were hidin’ somethin’ from me…”

Poking her fingers together, Alice grimaces a bit not looking at Bendy; it was clear, Henry realizes, that things weren’t exactly what Bendy may have been hoping for. The little demon, unfortunately, was completely clueless as he tended to stay in his own world.

“Well, that’s the thing Bendy…”

Immediately, Bendy got a nervous look on his face grimacing himself

“Oh man, did I do somethin’ wrong?? Alice, listen, I can make it up to ya if you just let me-”

“No, no, it’s not that at all- It’s just…  _ look _ at them, Bendy!”

Slowly, Bendy turned his floating head with an unamused expression as he watches Allison being sweet with Tom. They were discussing something when Tom sneezed rather ridiculously making a honk noise, to which Allison laughs with delight despite his embarrassment. Henry watches Bendy for a reaction, but his face remained blankly unamused.

“Yeah, they’re all sappy alright… whatta ‘bout it?”

Alice clasps her hands together again, closing her eyes as she twirls a bit making Bendy and Boris watch her curiously

“It’s so  _ wonderful _ ~ Allison told me all about how they had met, fought together, worked together, and survived! They kept each other company,  _ choosing _ to share their lives together! It’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard~!”

Bendy frowns then, taking a step towards her; Henry could tell this wasn’t going to end well for him.

“What’re ya sayin’ Alice?... we do all kinds of sweet stuff together! At least, back in the day we did!”

Lowering her hands still holding them clasped then, she frowns down at Bendy who seemed on the verge of almost grovelling.

“Oh, Bendy… Of course we did. But…”

“But?? but  _ what?? _ ”

Looking away, Alice sighs softly; Bendy scurries around her to be under her gaze again, holding out his hands

“What?? What’s wrong?”

“It’s just… they  _ chose _ to be together, Bendy. Nobody told them to love one another, or that they  _ had _ to. But me… well, I was  _ created _ for you; i’m just  _ supposed _ to be with you. I didn’t get to choose whether I wanted to or not…”

Looking shocked, Bendy takes a moment to process her words before clasping both hands together and falling to his knees

“B-But ya still love me, right?? Who cares what they wanted us to be; we can still  _ choose _ it!”

Smiling sympathetically, she gently ruffles Bendy’s head making him close his eyes. Opening them again, he gives her a sad look while she speaks

“Oh, Bendy… you  _ are _ sweet, and I know you care; but… what if I want to be more than just a love interest? I talked a lot with Allison, and she told me how she thought it was cruel that I only existed for you. And, I… I have to agree- I want to be  _ more _ than a side character for you! I want to have meaning outside of how i’m related to you romantically!”

Hanging his head then, Bendy sighs heavily as Boris awkwardly rubs the back of his head looking rather out of place in the conversation; Henry could feel it from across the room. Slowly, Bendy speaks again

“Ya make it sound so horrible...”

“You’re not terrible! But… is it really too much to ask that I can choose my own fate? You’re still one of the closest friends I have! And, who knows? Maybe I’ll decide to be with you after all; but I just want that  _ choice _ … I want to have free will, Bendy. Just like you! Is that too much to ask?...”

Slowly looking up to her with an expression that almost looked like guilt, Bendy sighs again

“Aw, Alice… how can I say  _ no _ to that?.. What kinda guy would I be to just tell ya what ya can an’ can’t do? Of course it ain’t too much ta ask- it’s a given right, if anythin’! I ain’t gonna force ya into nothin’ ya don’t wanna be a part of...”

Slowly getting to his feet again, Alice beamed gleefully before picking up Bendy and hugging him tightly; the little demon smiles, but still looked a little upset; Henry could tell it was definitely going to sting for a while. He had to admit though… it was rather amazing to see them gaining their own self awareness and individuality away from a written script.

“Oh Bendy, i’m glad to know you’ll support me~! I was worried you wouldn’t want to be my friend anymore!”

“C’mon… ya know i’d never do that; how can I abandon an angel in need?”

Chuckling at that, she gives him a small peck on the forehead before setting him down

“Not much in need anymore, but i’m glad you’ve always been there for me… and don’t worry; i’ll be there for you too!”

Bendy rubs the back of his head, shrugging a bit, but he was still smiling

“Yeah… that’s more than enough fer me; long as yer happy, I won’t stop ya. I just gotta get over breakin’ up is all... can I ask ya somethin’, though?”

“Hm? What?”

“Yer not… ya don’t have a crush on  _ that _ guy, do ya?”

Bendy makes a face as he points at Tom, who squints giving him a look back. Alice chuckles again, looking rather amused

“Well, not exactly; he  _ is _ Allison’s husband! But… the toughness  _ is _ pretty attractive~”

Making a face at that, Bendy sticks out his tongue going ‘BLEEEECK’; Henry can’t help but snort at that. It was classic Bendy. Alice couldn’t help laughing herself while Boris silently joined in as well; even Allison seemed amused, but Tom. Well, he looked grumpy as usual.

Alice sighs then, smiling down at Bendy

“Besides… I think there’s someone who didn’t quite like the way you were fawning over me. They might like you…”

Bendy looked clueless suddenly at that, staring blankly

“Huh?... Like me? I dunno who, or what yer talkin’ about”

Nearby, Henry noticed Edgar was watching their group and looking rather embarrassed; did… did he miss something?? What had happened while Bendy was away?

“Oh Bendy, you always  _ were _ terrible at picking up on these things!”

Bendy snorts at that, giving a cocky smirk as he leans and pulls his bowtie

“Well doll, I just assume  _ everyone _ has a thing for a handsome devil like me! Well… besides Henry. And Joey. And that Tom guy… but ya get my point! I’m irresistible!”

Boris gave him a look at that, clearly thinking he was anything  _ but  _ that. Alice merely smiles and looks over to the butcher gang in the distance

“Maybe you’ll figure it out on your own, but i’m not playing matchmaker for you; I’m not cupid, afterall!”

Bendy gives her another confused look, still not understanding; Henry was just as clueless as he was this time, unfortunately.

“I  _ still _ dunno what yer talkin’ about…”

At that, the butcher gang trailed over to their group with all three of them curiously looking up at Alice- Henry found it almost amusing how much taller she was than all of them except for Boris. 

Clearing his throat, Edgar gave a brief bow before speaking to her

“I would like to  _ properly _ introduce myself and my companions here, if you would allow us?”

Beaming, Alice excitedly looks down to them

“Oh, i’d love that! You all look so different now!”

Making a face, Edgar coughs a bit

“Well, we’re not  _ exactly _ who you think we are… anyhow, I am Edgar; organized leader, and distinguished protector of the new and improved butcher gang! I must say, the title is not as proper as I would like-”

He gets shoved by Charley, who excitedly and  _ loudly _ introduces himself as the striker stumbles while muttering a few choice curses that sounded almost shakespearean

“HI! I’M CHARLEY! Nice ta meet ya!”

He extends a hand to Alice who takes it, only to get her arm aggressively shaken making her wobble; Bendy quickly whacks Charley’s hand away giving him a look

“HAH! Sorry ‘bout that, dame! Anyways, I’m the handsome muscle of the group who brings all the moxie! Also, butcher gang is a killer name an’ we ain’t CHANGING IT”

Giving Charley a dirty look, Edgar looked ready to fight him but the piper merely beamed back. 

Very quietly then, Barley stepped forward looking up at Alice with a rather nervous expression; he seemed rather intimidated.

“U-uhm… I’m.. Barley. Mechanic and engineer, ma’am…”

Alice crouches down in front of him, smiling warmly

“It’s very nice to meet you, Barley. You must be very smart!”

Blinking, the fisher looks away while giving her a shy smile that makes Bendy roll his eyes. Commotion starts up however as Edgar starts wrestling with Charley, shoving him angrily

“Will you QUIT IT!”

“Quit what?? You’re the one hittin’ yerself, HAHAHA- Ow!”

Putting her hands up in surprise, Alice backs away as the two tumble into poor Barle, sending all three rolling into a heap. Bendy snorts, watching them get tangled up and collapse

“Nice goin’, guys… real talented”

Edgar huffs with embarrassment under Charley, shoving a bit

“Oh, will you get  _ off _ of me?? Hrumph!”

“Sure thing, your  _ highness _ ”

Charley snickers at his sarcasm, getting up before offering a hand to Barley

“Hey, you alright there Barles?”

Groaning softly, the fisher slowly takes his hand and struggles a bit to get up

“Fine…”

Charley beamed pleasantly while Edgar continued huffing as he gets up on his own, Barley sighing; Henry found it rather amusing how each of them almost seemed to represent perfect opposites of one another. Grumpy and prim, boisterous and easy going, quiet and reserved; they truly were the perfect cartoon trio. Alice seemed to think so too as she chimes in with a sing-songy tone

“You’re all so cute~! The old butcher gang wasn’t  _ half _ as charming as you!”

Bendy gives a so-so gesture with one hand, shrugging

“Depends on who ya ask really…”

Edgar sighs then, pulling the jar from his hip and checking it carefully; Henry could tell he was a bit worried after the rough fall. Thankfully, it seemed nobody had actually gotten hurt and the jar was still intact. 

Henry was watching all of them so intently he hadn’t noticed that Allison was approaching him again from behind. That is, until she spoke

“Henry?”

Flinching slightly, he turns to face her

“Oh- sorry…”

Smiling, she gives him a sympathetic look

  
“No need; I don’t blame you for being on edge. I was just thinking we could discuss plan details if you’d like?...”

Glancing to the others briefly, he nods before turning to her again

“That’s probably a good idea… guess I got distracted; it really  _ is _ like watching a cartoon, but in real life…”

Allison smirks a bit at that

“Just as distracting, isn’t it?”

Sighing, Henry nods. Slowly, he was noticing his legs were aching pretty bad from standing for so long.

“Definitely… also, I think i’d like to sit down now.”

Allison chuckles at him, raising an eyebrow

“Standing around watching cartoons… a true slacker now, huh?”

Smiling a bit, Henry shrugs as they walk towards a table with chairs

“Something like that…”


	29. Angel’s Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Struggling with some past emotions, Sammy decides to put his heart in the right place with a special song that helps remind himself he cares while restoring friendship... in more ways than one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none except the drawing has mild scarring for those who might find that uncomfortable; it's an eye healed shut and some mouth scarring

* * *

Slowly tuning his banjo again before strumming a chord, Sammy leans back against the wall; he was currently sitting on the floor observing the others time to time while toying with his instrument. Writing with a pen on some paper he’d asked the lost ones for, he sighs irritably before scribbling it out now strumming different notes to find a better chord. Currently, he was trying to write a small melody, but it had been so long he was finding inspiration difficult.

Focused on his song, Sammy didn’t notice Norman had jangled over to him at first; his flickering light quickly gave his presence away however when he looks down on the music director. 

Squinting a bit, Sammy looks up at him

“Yes? You need something, or just enjoy blinding me?”

Snorting, Norman slumps to the floor in front of Sammy with a loud clank lounging with him

“What, I need a reason to wanna sit by my partner?”

Sammy sighs, smiling a little while tuning again

“No, I suppose not… I just wish you didn’t have a lightbulb for a face; it makes looking you in the eye painful.”

Norman snorts again at that, dimming his light before looking back to Sammy

“Better?”

Still smiling, Sammy nods

“Much. Thank you.”

Norman looks down over all the papers scattered on the floor, many of them scribbled over and half written on with a few even crumpled.

“So uh… what’s goin’ on here, then?”

Sneering a little, Sammy shoves some of the pages aside

“A mess, that’s what. I’ve been trying to find the right melody for ages but nothing sounds right! It’s frustrating…”

Norman picks up one of the pages curiously, but only stares at it blankly. Sammy thinks he probably can’t hear it in his head like he can; reading sheet music was rather difficult in itself, afterall.

“Don’t bother… those chords aren’t even worth it as a joke.”

Norman shrugs, looking to him again

“Guess I wouldn’t know, but I’m sure it all sounds great. Yer just bein’ picky about whatcha want.”

Sammy blinks at that, slowly tilting his head as he looks at Norman

“Well, maybe I  _ like _ being picky… but you’re probably right. I just want the right sound- one that sounds and  _ feels _ right..”

Scooping and organizing most of the pages, Norman shrugs again

“Well, I don’t suppose yer gonna tell me what this is for?...”

Sammy frowns, simply strumming the banjo before sighing heavily

“It’s dumb… completely ridiculous, really. I don’t even know why i’m bothering…”

Norman shakes his projector head, moving to sit next to Sammy with a grunt

“So, yer not gonna tell me then.”

Slumping his head on Norman’s shoulder, Sammy closes his eyes for a moment

“Mm… you’ll find out when I actually manage to finish the song. I’m no Jack Fain, but I’m slowly figuring out  _ something _ lyrical at least…”

Norman quietly hums in thought at that leaning his head on Sammy’s in return

“Jack Fain, huh?... now that’s a name to a face I haven’t seen ina while… wonder where he is now.”

Sammy slowly opens his eyes, feeling rather tired suddenly

“I don’t know… he used to be with me in the music department, but… I think something happened to him. I only found a hat…”

He goes quiet as he replays old memories in his head of writing music when the studio was at its peak; sure, it was stressful but it was also one of the better parts in his life. The band playing in harmony, singing voices giving life to the talented lyrics written by a friend, and his composition  _ living _ through them. It was its own magic in a sense- uniting everyone with wonderful sound and emotion as they played and sang. He truly missed that. Frankly, he felthe missed it now more than ever.

“...I just hope he’s okay…”

Sammy nuzzles his face into Norman’s shoulder, who moves to gently wrap an arm around him now and pull him close

“Ah, Sammy… i’m sure he’s fine… Nobody  _ really _ dies ‘round here, anyways. He’s probably just hidden somewhere.”

Sammy nods a little at that, but still sighs softly feeling worried. What would happen to everyone else here when they escaped? Would they all be set free, or left behind? If he had to make the choice between freeing himself or staying behind with them… he wasn’t sure he could choose anymore. Before, he would have absolutely sacrificed anyone for his freedom. But now… looking up at Norman, Sammy couldn’t bear the thought anymore. 

Norman quietly stares down at him for a moment before speaking

“Hey… it’s alright. Don’t linger on the bad stuff too much, okay?... you’ve done that plenty enough i’m sure…”

Leaning his projector head down, Norman gently bumps it to Sammy’s lips briefly as a mock kiss making Sammy smile

“Hmph… I suppose you’re right, but still. You can’t stop me at least sulking over my song.”

Snickering a bit, Norman leans his head back before using his hand to nudge Sammy’s face a little

“Maybe, Maybe not… guess we’ll see”

Rolling his eyes now, Sammy still smiles as Norman’s hand brushes over his cheek; gently leaning into his hand, he can feel his face flush from the gesture.

“Man… yer cute when ya ain’t bein’ so grumpy.”

Huffing, Sammy playfully shoves at Norman giving him a smug look

“Alright, now you don’t get to cuddle!”

“Aww c’mon, I was jokin’! Come back!”

“Nope! You’ve lost the privilege. I’m going back to writing my song.”

Norman chuckles, watching Sammy pick the banjo back up and start plucking notes again

“Ya know, out of all the instruments to choose, I still find it odd you’d pick  _ that _ one…”

Shrugging, Sammy poses superficially to look ‘sophisticated’ with the instrument

“The banjo is simply my favorite, and a fine instrument at that!”

Norman snorts at him nodding

“Yeah, yeah; at least it is in your hands, mr.director…”

Sammy continues smiling before looking back to the banjo again, slowly testing some pieces of old songs he’d written.

“Hopefully I can make a song fitting enough for the intended occasion…”

While still trying to figure out a proper melody, Sammy pauses looking up a bit when he hears singing from nearby. Raising an eyebrow, he looks around before seeing Alice Angel sitting at a table with the jar that had Susie’s soul in it. The tune she was singing…

Getting up suddenly while grabbing up his pen and papers in a hurry, Sammy causes Norman to flinch before he’s hurrying over to the table Alice was sitting at. Confused, Norman struggles to hurry after him

“What’s all the fuss about??”

“I had an idea!”

“Of course ya did…”

Fumbling with his papers a bit, Sammy barely catches them before he’s placing them next to the jar on the table in front of Alice Angel, who looked rather baffled. Nearby, Edgar raises an eyebrow while Bendy dramatically leans around him to see what was going on. Looking up at Sammy now, Alice was giving him a questioning look

“Is something wrong?...”

“Wrong? No, no; not at all. In fact, that song you were singing just now… what was that?”

“O-Oh! it was the first song I remember singing… it’s about being a lonely angel, then finding love!”

Sitting down on the other side of the table, Sammy grabs his pen while Norman approaches and crosses his arms, leaning on a fence that was built to separate the sitting area from the general room’s flow of traffic. Sammy quietly muses out loud then

“I know that song… it’s called ‘lonely angel’, while the second half is ‘i’ll be your angel’. I’d forgotten about it until I heard you singing it; I can’t quite fully remember the tune… would you kindly sing it for me?”

Blinking, Alice slowly folds her hands together

“Oh- of course!”

Clearing her throat, Alice starts the song over again as Sammy starts to write the tune down on his paper. Getting the main gist of it down, he quickly drops the pen before starting to play the chords on the banjo as she sings. Bendy and Edgar were both curiously watching them now having forgotten their conversation while Norman watches Sammy in particular.

Finishing the song, Alice chuckles before smiling at him

“That was lovely! I’ve never sang to a  _ banjo _ before…”

Smiling a little himself, Sammy was writing on a blank sheet

“And I’ve never had a cartoon character sing for me before… May I ask; what were you singing that song for?”

Sighing softly, Alice frowns at the jar in front of them

“Well, I suppose it’s a comforting song for me… I was thinking that… well, maybe if it makes me feel better, it would make  _ her _ feel better and she’d come back out. I don’t think it’s working though…”

Glancing at the jar, Sammy shakes his head a little before sighing himself

“It was worth a try, I suppose…”

Alice leans over to see his sheets of paper then, looking curious

“Now, may  _ I _ ask what that’s for?”

Sammy looks to Norman then who seemed to be wondering the same thing still from earlier; he supposes he might as well explain it for both of them now.

“Alright… When we had first met up with Susie before she, uh… became a puddle in a jar, she’d given us a bunch of tasks to do for her. I ‘agreed’ to write her a song to ‘make up’ for arguing with her, but I never  _ did _ get around to it. I figured I may as well do it now in our downtime so she has something nice when she gets back…”

Alice’s eyes sparkle at that while she tilts her head against clasped hands in an adoring gesture

“Awww! That’s so sweet of you!”

Tensing a bit, Sammy straightens himself with a grimace while Norman snorts from behind him

“I-It’s not sweet! I just think I should fulfill my end of our agreement for her not killing us earlier is all. That’s it!”

Alice, however, was still smiling and clearly not buying it; she wasn’t naive or easy to fool like others might believe, that much was certain. Sammy remembers some of the cartoonists writing her to be more clever than the foolish demon, who was currently making a mocking expression at him from nearby.

“Right… either way, hearing you sing my old song inspired me; I want to reuse it a little. Maybe put a different spin on the lyrics and melody.”

Looking excited, Alice places her hands on the table leaning forward a little

“Oh, that sounds wonderful! Can I help?”

“If you’d like to sing some melodies for me that I can work with, then certainly.”

Norman looks over then, his flickering light illuminating their table

“Can’t belive yer makin’ a collaboration song with the very character ya wrote music for in the first place. Almost seems ironic in some way”

Sammy rolls his eyes, but Alice grins finding it amusing; either way, he finally had  _ something _ he could work with instead of trying to pull it out of the blue. Together, he and Alice began trying out different chords and melody verses; Sammy slowly was taking the best parts, stating to put together a short song. 

Finishing his furious scribbling then, Sammy drops his pen almost dramatically making Alice lean back and look at him questioningly. Taking a deep breath, he exhales slowly before lifting up the page he’d written the full song on.

“...It’s done. Alice… if you would lend me your voice, would you like to help me sing?...”

Smiling softly, she nods causing her halo to bob with the gesture

“Just play the music, and let me read the lyrics; i’ll catch on quick, promise!”

Clearing his throat, Sammy tests his banjo’s strings quickly to check they were still in tune preparing to play and sing. Behind him, Norman was listening intently as he hadn’t heard the music director sing in a very long time. Dually, Bendy and Edgar were just as curious to hear the song, leaning in closer.

Strumming softly at first, Sammy starts to get into the tune before singing the first verse:

  
  


“ _ There was a lonely Angel,  _

_ who fell looking for dreams _

_ When all she ever wanted,  _

_ was a chance to be redeemed _

_ How could she ever know, when left out on her own, _

_ The clouds could not support her when they were made of lies _

_ And in her naive trusting, she’d forgotten how to fly _ ”

As he sings, he could feel himself becoming lost to the music; he always loved the feeling of putting his all into the song. Catching onto the tune as she’d promised, Alice sang the next verse:

“ _ While searching for her halo,  _

_ the ink clouded her mind _

_ Always chasing shadows,  _

_ desperate to find her shine _

_ But all she ever found here, was misery and tears, _

_ As her dreams belonged to someone else, never hers to hold _

_ Only finding why she closed her heart, from lies Joey told _ ”

Leaning forward a little, Sammy almost braces himself to put his all into his voice while keeping the music up to pace; His voice is joined with Alice’s, who duets with him:

“ _ There’s a reason that the angels prefer hiding in Heaven’s gate, _

_ As Eden’s snake deceives you, misdirects the blinded faith _ ”

The next verse however, she falters likely finding the words harsh, but Sammy continues:

“ _ Though Joey’s words may sound like gold, _

_ Underneath they’re only copper _

_ Just like the taste of wounded blood, _

_ his sharp tongue cut through deeper _ ”

Shaking it off, Alice joins him again, taking turns on singing the lines before combining together for each ending line of the verse:

“ _ Though your heart despairs, _

_ It feels unfair, _

_ It doesn’t mean nobody’s there, _

_ Your pain is shared, _

_ Somebody cares, _

_ Consider us your answered prayer  _

_ We’re here for you,  _

_ It’s not too late to find your home _

_ We’ll make it through, _

_ You’re more than just somebody’s clone _

_ Our hope is strong, _

_ You’ll never have to be alone _ ”

Taking a breath, Sammy closes his eyes while playing still before he sings the end alone:

“ _ Because falling isn’t just the end, _

_ We can still rewrite, we have the pen _

_ So listen to me and have hope again… _ ”

Letting the music from his instrument trail off then, Sammy looks to the jar solemnly feeling almost pained in a sense before he speaks the last line he’d left off the page:

“Susie Campbell… I’m still your friend.”

The room became eerily silent with the conclusion to the song, but Sammy didn’t pay attention to it; he was watching the jar, remembering. Remembering not just their friendship before the ink, but everything their group had done together up to this point. Despite everything Susie had become an important part of their group… and even changed for the better. Sammy wished he could have told her that he actually enjoyed her company, told her that no matter what he nor anyone else was going to leave her behind. Perhaps it would have made it less terrible when melting…

Alice smiles sympathetically at him, but Sammy doesn’t acknowledge it; he didn’t like feeling so openly emotional. Norman gently places a hand on his shoulder then, making Sammy look up at him with a frown as the projectionist speaks

“That was a lovely song, Sammy. I’m sure she’ll love it when she’s back.”

Sighing, Sammy rubs his brow a bit shaking his head

“I don’t know… I just… I hope she comes back.”

Before he can mope more however, he flinches as Alice gasps out of nowhere; then, he notices that something was clanking rather loudly. A bit further away, Bendy calls out

“Holy smokes! That jar’s possessed!”

Leaning back a bit, Sammy stares at the jar now realizing it was shaking  _ violently _ . It seemed like it was about to burst. Norman backs away, pulling Sammy with him as Alice backs away too, all of them watching the jar. Edgar inquires out loud curiously;

“My angel?...”

Furrowing his brow, Sammy keeps his gaze fixed on the jar

“Should we open it? I think... the ink is trying to get out-”

Suddenly, before anyone can make a move towards it, the jar glows so bright Sammy has to look away. As if it had been detonated, the glass shatters and sprays in every direction causing a few shouts of surprise. Sammy had been grasped and moved away by Norman who shielded him, disgruntling the music director a bit.

Shaking off the commotion, Sammy quickly gives Norman a grumpy look

“Why did you do that?! I don’t want  _ you _ to get hurt either, you know!”

“‘Cause yer not as inky as ya used to be. It’d probably hurt a lot worse now than before.”

Frowning, he sighs a bit before looking Norman over

“Are you alright?”

“Fine; just gotta pluck glass bits out of myself. Doesn’t hurt, though.”

Rolling his eyes, Sammy figures he was probably lying

“Norman, don’t test my patience… You should head to the infirmary.”

Shaking his projector head, he crosses his arms

“Only if ya come with me.”

Sighing, Sammy gives him a look 

“At least let me check on the everyone first. You’re so stubborn…”

“Says you~”

Giving him an unamused look, Sammy turns away from him then to check on the others

“Is everyone alright? Alice?”

Waving a hand from further away, Sammy sees she’d hidden behind some barrels that had glass embedded in their wood

“I’m okay! Bendy, are you and Edgar okay?”

“Yeah, we weren’t close enough ta get hit!”

Blinking, Sammy looks down realizing that there was an ink puddle on the floor now with Susie’s soul sitting in it. Frowning, he carefully kneels without placing his knees on the floor to avoid the glass. The soul seemed to almost be pulsing as the ink bubbled.

“I don’t understand… did she not like the tight container? We can’t just leave her soul on the floor in some puddle- a puddle that is starting to boil  _ furiously, _ ”

Getting back up, Sammy quickly moves away again to Norman who holds him by his shoulders while speaking

“I don’t like tha looks of this…”

Shaking his head, Sammy looks up to see Alice curiously approaching

“Hey- don’t get close! I-I don’t know what’s going on, but it might not be safe-”

Alice ignores him however, crouching by the rapidly bubbling ink

“Hello there! Are you alright?”

Sammy felt alarmed, but he realizes that neither Bendy nor Edgar seemed to be; did they know something he didn’t? Or did they just not care? Then, the ink slowly rose up from the floor starting to form some kind of… shape. It looked strangely... humanoid?

Clutching his chest, Sammy stares in surprise muttering

“By the stars, I think she’s coming  _ back _ ”

Sure enough, the ink continued to look more and more like Susie, the ball of light that was her soul floating into the middle of it. Then, as if doused with a bucket of water, the ink fell away from her in a loud splash leaving a puddle at her feet. Blinking, she curiously looks around as if she had no clue what had just happened (which Sammy didn’t blame her for). Eventually, her gaze settled on Sammy raising an eyebrow

“...What are you staring at me for?”

Trying not to sputter at that, he moves away from Norman almost looking offended

“Wh- excuse me? For one thing, you just came  _ bursting _ out of a  _ jar _ after having melted, then reformed like some.. Some kind of  _ magic! _ ... Also, you look. Well…  _ different _ .”

Touching her face then, Susie looked as shocked as the rest of them 

Her hair was now shorter and neatly styled in curled waves that framed her face with rather complimentary locks. It wasn’t black like the ink anymore, but instead paler than her skin which was dotted all over with sparse freckles. The side of her face that had been malformed and rotten looking was more normal than before- aside from what looked like healed scars around where her mouth had been open, and her missing beady black eye had healed shut. Her mouth seemed to still be stuck open a little bit on that side, but it wasn’t too noticeable. She still had the horns and halo, but the halo didn’t seem to be loosely stuck through her head anymore- instead it looked like a solid band now in the top of her skull like the horns. She also had a pair of what looked like crystal earrings hanging from both ears that Sammy for some reason felt must have been a gift from someone.

Otherwise, she looked mostly the same clothing wise aside from a new apron with two playful decorative wings on the straps, and her arms looked gloved due to the black ink.

“...I need a mirror. Someone give me a mirror!”

Scrambling then, Edgar came running before leaping over the fence separating them and pulling a small handheld mirror from… somewhere. Sammy makes a face not wanting to know.

“H-Here you are, my angel…”

Taking the mirror, Susie stares long and hard at herself before slowly sinking into the chair Alice had been sitting in earlier. Touching her face, she looked almost concerned as Edgar who was nervously watching her. Slowly, Alice approaches her from behind which Sammy thinks is a bad idea

Likely having caught sight of her through the mirror, Susie flinches before turning to stare at Alice instead

“W-w-what on Earth-?”

Waving innocently, Alice smiles

“Hello! You’re Susie, correct? Bendy told me some about you!”

Looking fairly frozen with shock, Susie could only stare. Rolling his eyes, Sammy turns to Norman jabbing a finger at him

“Go to the infirmary. Let me settle this.”

Norman, however, refuses and stays put making the music director huff angrily before turning to walk over to Susie instead. Waving a hand in her face, she blinks and looks to him

“...What happened while I was gone?? A-and why do I look like  _ this _ ?”

She was touching her face looking in the mirror again before turning her attention once more to Alice

“And since when was she  _ real?! _ ”

Alice merely smiles innocently; it was almost unnerving sometimes how unfazed and positive she could be. Sammy shakes his head, pausing to brush away bits of glass before sitting back in the chair he had been earlier

“A lot happened. I don’t know why you look like that _specifically_ , but I think it’s closer to your previous self? And to answer the thing about Alice… I have no idea. Bendy just… sort of found and brought her here.”

Hopping up onto the table then, Bendy poses smugly

“Sure did! So, did ya have fun bein’ a melted puddle Susie?”

Giving him a dirty look, she squints at him

“Oh, real funny you ink  _ squirt _ . How about I turn  _ you _ into a puddle and show you!”

Scoffing at being called ‘squirt’, Bendy almost retorts when Edgar extends his mechanical arm to clasp his mouth shut. Bendy comically continues muffled yelling into the hand anyways while making fighting gestures, but none of them could understand him. Susie rolls her eye before looking to Edgar

“I’m glad to know you’re still here… what about the other two? Are they okay?”

“Fine, ma’am; they’re simply helping with some engineering and building.”

Looking relieved, she pats Edgar on the head who beams with pride

“You know Edgar, you don’t have to be so  _ formal _ with me anymore… or call me ‘angel’ all the time.”

Edgar looks a bit embarrassed, making Bendy snort into his hand at him; in response, Edgar’s expression became unamused and he shoves Bendy over who yells ‘HEY!’ which makes the striker smile. Susie smiles at him briefly before turning to Alice with a surprisingly solemn expression

“Look at you… so perfect, and  _ beautiful _ . You always  _ were _ my favorite muse…”

Alice blushes then, putting her hands behind her back while shyly twisting one foot

“Oh, thank you! But I think you’re just as pretty! Nobody should have to be ‘perfect’ to be beautiful!”

Susie sighs heavily at that, but smiles a little; Sammy was just glad she wasn’t having absolute obsession, shock, or a heart attack at her real life cartoon idol being here. Looking into the mirror one more time, Susie gently brushes a hand through her hair before touching her missing eye

“Hm… guess I have something more in common with my gang now, don’t I?...”

She frowns a bit, but looks to Edgar who was smiling up at her; Sammy thinks how it’s almost cute how the butcher gang liked her so much. He supposes she  _ did _ put them back together. Literally.

Alice leans over Susie’s shoulder then, looking into the mirror with her

“They told me all about how you felt about your appearance… are you okay with it now?”

Staring long and hard at the mirror, Susie slowly lowers the mirror smiling at Sammy who blinks and raises an eyebrow

“You know, Alice… I think I am. It’s more ‘me’ afterall. I was told I should find and celebrate myself more...”

Feeling confused, Sammy shakes his head

“What’re you looking at me like that for?...”

Susie chuckles while handing the mirror back to Edgar, who still seemed concerned. Bendy rolls his eyes, and hops off the table next to Edgar as Susie leans her elbows on it, folding her hands together before resting her chin on them while she gazes at Sammy

“Oh, nothing… other than you clearly do care about me and are an emotional softie Sammy~!”

Staring, Sammy huffs before defensively crossing his arms

“What are you talking about?! I didn’t say or do anything-”

“I remember what you said to me when I was melting. You and Norman…”

She glances to Norman briefly who had been quietly observing the whole time; he simply nods to her. Sammy huffs again however

“S-so what?”

“So, you also wrote a song for me… then  _ sang _ it because you wanted to help me. That’s so sappy Sammy…”

Feeling his face flush, Sammy looks away but he can’t hide the truth that he was actually relieved and glad to have her back.

“Whatever… at least i’m not cold and  _ unfeeling _ …”

Susie snorts, giving him a look

“Unfeeling? Are you making a stab at me? Because I never said I didn’t care back…”

Slowly looking to her, Sammy frowns as Susie sits up and looks to him 

“Sammy… Thank you. The song was lovely…”

Norman snorts then, nodding his head again

“See? I toldja.”

Sammy puffs a bit, jokingly snapping at Norman

“Oh, hush you!”

Susie shakes her head, still smiling

“What inspired you Sammy?...”

Feeling a bit defeated, Sammy drops his defensive act and decides to be a little earnest for once. Just a little though.

“I just… thought it might be nice for you. We  _ are _ friends after all… even if you make me want to snap an instrument sometimes.”

Susie snorts at that, raising an eyebrow as Sammy continues to speak

“Maybe I  _ do _ care and just wanted to help. But do we have to make it so…  _ embarrassing? _ I’d rather just move on, thank you. How about we discuss how and why you burst out of that jar, and just… reformed?”

Grinning at Sammy, Susie slowly looks like she’s thinking

“Hm… fine; i’ll drop it. But i’m glad to know you care about me, Sammy. I mean it.”

Sammy sighs, relaxing a bit and giving her a small nod before she speaks again

“ And… I don’t exactly know  _ myself  _ what happened. I could just hear music, and while listening I realized it was meant for me…I felt pretty sad, but also... angry? Then I heard the part about hope and friendship… I guess it just. Made me  _ want _ to fight; to try again. After that... it’s just a blur.”

Sammy felt puzzled as he tries to understand, but behind him Norman chuckles warmly which surprises him a little; usually, his projector headed cowboy sounding boyfriend wasn’t openly fond of Susie.

“Maybe it’s that whole hope thing Henry keeps goin’ on about… that stuff seems to make  _ magic _ in this place…”

Bendy jumps back up onto the table suddenly making Sammy, Susie, and Alice straighten up and stare at him while the little demon does some ominous circling gesture with his body like a creepy owl, his face smirking

“That’s becaaaaaaaaaause it is! I dunno how exactly, but I think it has somethin’ ta do with the way this place was made in the first place…”

Tapping his chin, Bendy snaps his fingers before looking to Sammy

“Hey! Do ya still have that book?? The one ya showed Henry way back when ya first joined up with me an’ him??”

Susie leans to the side of Bendy who was blocking her view to give Sammy a questioning look

“What’s he going on about?...”

Sammy stares for a moment before he starts to dramatically pat himself down, his expression shocked

“Th-the book!! How could I have forgotten?! Oh, no, where  _ is _ it?! Oh, maybe it fell off of me because of the Ink demon, Oh no-”

Hearing a crinkle in his pants, Sammy makes a face as everyone around him’s eyebrows shoot up. Slowly, he pulls a single page out of his pants while still making a face, finding it was folded and  _ very _ crinkled up. Unfolding it, Sammy frowns as he finds almost all of the text was covered in black ink minus some spots to form writing. Leaning over the paper, Bendy looks confused

“Huh?? What’s it say?”

Sammy squints a bit before feeling as if the life had just drained from him, a chill settling over him

“...It says ‘The sheep will come to slaughter, and you no longer guide the way. The shepard too has become the prey’...”

Susie, Norman, Alice, and Edgar all looked concerned but Bendy seemed merely unamused as he snatches the paper

“Whatta dramatic loser… lemme see this,”

Snapping his fingers again, the ink on the page melts off as the demon reads the actual text; however, he sticks his tongue out dropping the page

“This page is completely useless. Doesn’t say anythin’ about hope or magic… it’s just some dumb speech about immortality by Joey Screw-head.”

Still feeling tense (and likely as well as the others gauging from their expressions), Sammy sighs shakily trying to not let himself get too perturbed by the message that had been snuck onto him somehow.

“Useless or not, the matter of the fact is not only is the book  _ missing _ , somehow the Ink demon managed to sneak it off of me while leaving this… cryptic message. What if he’s able to simply sneak up on us like that, then? Couldn’t he kill us??”

Bendy blows a raspberry at that, shaking his head

“Nah; he probably did it when we were in the midst of that big ol’ mess of a fight. There’s no way ya wouldn’t notice him showin’ up… right?”

Sammy did not feel safe or convinced at the little demon’s words, but Alice seemed to be curious now about something else Bendy had mentioned on said page;

“Hope magic?... is that anything like  _ angel _ magic? I hope it’s not related to demon magic, because I don’t know much about it besides that us angels were taught to not trust it.”

Bendy turns to her giving a shrug

“Well, ya trusted me, didn’tcha? Also… ya have angel magic??”

“Used to; not anymore… but if hope has magic properties, then maybe i’ll have some power again in no time!”

Bendy makes a so-so gesture with one hand, turning to look at Sammy

“I dunno if it’s really the  _ hope _ makin’ all this weird stuff happen. Some part a’ me is sayin’ there’s somethin’ else goin’ on… just wish I knew what. Either way, at least it fixed Susie!”

A different voice speaks up then

“So,  _ you’re _ Susie? I’m afraid we never really got to talk much even before we landed in  _ this  _ place.”

At the new voice in the group, everyone’s attention turns to see Allison standing with Tom who had his arms crossed, eyeing all the broken glass. It seemed it was finally time the angels met, but somehow, Sammy felt it was going to be anything but heavenly.


	30. Malice’s Mirror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having finally come back, Susie gets to meet Allison again- but neither have forgotten how they felt about the other. After some tensions, the two start to lighten up to Sammy's relief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none
> 
> Note: Couple things to note this time around! First off, these chapters are on the shorter side so there's only one drawing for chapter 31! Secondly, I wanted to note again to my readers that I try to update every weekend around sunday-monday depending on how productive I manage to be (and whether my chronic illness permits!).
> 
> Lastly: I wanted to give a big sincere thank you to everyone who's reading, whether you just skimmed a little or are a returning reader who's excited for every chapter! All of your support from those who leave me wonderful commentary (I read ALL of the comments and appreciate you!), to those who quietly are keeping tabs; thank you so much, it's you guys who're keeping me going on editing/publishing this story! If you've ever complimented me, gave kudos, or shared fanart know that I saw it and appreciate it every bit! Here's to hopefully keeping this train going; cheers!

* * *

Susie stares blankly for a long moment before getting a rather grouchy look on her face as she turned to Sammy

“What in Hell is  _ she _ doing here?! Were you trying to replace me?!”

Sighing loudly and slapping a hand over his face, Sammy shakes his head as Allison spoke again

“Nobody was replacing you, Tom and I were just recruited as extra help. I was hoping maybe we could get off on a better foot than before...”

Slowly peering through his fingers grimacing, Sammy sees Susie eyeing her distrustfully

“A better foot? And why should I trust you?”

Alice Angel frowns moving between the two suddenly

“Oh, let’s please not fight! It only makes things worse…”

Bendy sticks out his tongue, looking smug

“I say let them go for it! Watchin’ a good fight could be fun-”

He flails as Alice shoves his face for that, tumbling backwards off the table grunting with an ‘oof!’ before he lands sitting in Sammy’s lap. Making a face, Sammy slowly looks down at the little demon who was simply staring up at him.

“Right… can you perhaps  _ not _ sit on me?...”

Kicking his feet a bit, Bendy’s blank look curls into a grin; uh oh. Now he’d done it.

“Nah~ I’m cozy right here! ‘Sides, ya used ta  _ worship _ me… I kinda miss that. Kinda. Also, who wouldn’t wanna sit in the lap of a handsome man~”

Rolling his eyes and sighing loudly, Sammy had to at the very least admit one thing- very begrudgingly and never to another soul- a small, deep part of him did have some fondness for the little devil. Despite the fact he only had to write music for his cartoon endlessly and dreamed far too many dreams about said cartoon. Regardless, the little demon was still somewhat endearing… somewhat.

His thoughts trail off however as he realizes tension between Susie and Allison had been building up while he was distracted by Bendy (who was now lounging on his lap).

“...You should have declined the offer then!”

“I told you, I didn’t  _ know _ it was your job beforehand until it was too late. I tried to get them to re-hire you, but I was told you’d been recast or something? I can barely remember”

“You  _ still _ could have quit...”

“Frankly, I needed the money because it wasn’t exactly a good time to be  _ jobless.. _ .”

Sighing, Sammy lifts a very reluctant Bendy up off his lap, setting the fussing demon down who gives him a pouty look

“Bendy… why don’t you take a few friends and go tell Henry Susie is back?... I’m going to try and fix this.”

Bendy sighs himself and dramatically leans back rather far before springing back, giving him another pouty look

“...Fine. But I wanted to watch them fight…”

Sammy rolls his eyes at that

“Nobody is going to fight. I’m going to make sure of that.”

Thankfully, Bendy simply shrugs before taking both Alice and Edgar with him towards the infirmary where Henry was resting. Turning back to the other two, Sammy’s eyes briefly met with Tom’s as they shared the same thought:

Two ‘Alices’ was intimidating enough, but if they got angry… well, that would be something else entirely.

“Susie, Allison… how about I try and mediate here…”

Both of them in unison turned to him and spoke:

“Stay out of it, Sammy!”

Holding his hands up, Sammy nervously watches them go back to pointing at one another and arguing details. This wasn’t going to be easy.

Allison holds her hands out at Susie as she speaks

“Look, I’m not trying to be your enemy; I just want to sort this out so we can cooperate better!”

Eyeing her still, Susie crosses her arms as well as her legs with the crossed leg bouncing

“You certainly  _ stabbed _ me through the chest plenty of times; how do I know you’re not going to do it again through my back?”

Making a face, Allison glances to Tom who gave a big shrug; she looks back to Susie then

“I… don’t remember that, so I guess i’m sorry? But- that’s not the point right now!”

Sighing, Susie shakes her head

“Stabbing seems like a pretty  _ important _ point to me. But... I  _ suppose _ the other things I used to do  _ maybe _ justified it… just a  _ little _ ”

Allison looked a bit baffled at that then

“A little?”

Susie gawks slightly at her before Allison holds up her hands

“Joking! Look… I don’t really  _ want _ to be Alice anyways. It was only a role for me, and not exactly what it was for you… can we make up on this?”

Susie silently eyes her for a moment longer before sighing and shaking her head

“I don’t know… I have a few questions for you first; you’re not planning on replacing me as Sammy’s  _ best friend _ , are you? Also, what do you think about  _ Joey _ ?”

Sammy makes a face, looking to Susie

“I never said you were my best-”

“No, i’m not going to replace you as Sammy’s ‘best friend’; Frankly, he creeps me out. No offense.”

Giving her an offended look, Sammy stares 

“Well FRANKLY, i’m still offended! You think i’m creepy?-”

“And, I don’t remember a ‘Joey’. The name sounds… somewhat familiar. But I don’t think they were important to me…”

Sammy scoffs in disbelief at having been interrupted twice, huffing angrily while Susie laughs at him mockingly; she turns to Allison looking curious

“Not interested in Sammy, and can’t even  _ remember _ Joey… maybe we  _ can _ get along.”

Next to her, Tom growls angrily while glaring down at the floor which makes Susie raise an eyebrow before looking back to Allison

“What’s up with him?...”

Allison sighs, crossing her arms gently

“Something about Joey, I think… do you know who that is Tom?”

Looking up to her, he seemed angrier than usual as he makes a slit throat motion while clenching his mechanical fist. Allison looked a little surprised at that

“That bad, huh? Well… guess i’m glad I don’t remember him then.”

She turns to Susie then, giving a small smile

“So… do you think maybe we could be allies? At the least of course.  _ Maybe _ friends if we decide so later.”

Smiling back, Susie sighs and rolls her head around her shoulders briefly for dramatic effect

“I  _ suppose _ … but you  _ better _ be willing to gossip with me about the group. Also, I can teach you how to be socially cunning with them…”

Raising an eyebrow, Allison looked blankly confused

“Uh… I don’t think I need lessons in that, thanks. I’m pretty good at handling myself. I have a sword afterall”

Susie snorts, shrugging

“You know, I suppose that works too; if someone doesn’t listen, it doesn’t hurt to have an oversized knife…”

Shrugging off his initial irritation, Sammy shakes off his arms before looking at the two. It seemed at least they’d get along on their own just fine, which was a relief. Hopefully they’d be good company for one another considering there weren’t many women around the place anymore. Now that he thinks about it, there was a disturbingly low ratio of them in the group with only three women to… too many men. On the bright side… Sammy liked having a lot of men.

Behind him, Norman chimes in making Sammy flinch a little as he’d forgotten he was there;

“Hey, I know that look on yer face… don’t go gettin’ ideas now.”

Flustering and sputtering, Sammy looks over to Norman

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about!!”

Susie’s voice also chimes in then to Sammy’s dismay

“Oh, Sammy, scandalous thoughts again?”

Flushing darkly, he sputters more staring at her now as Allison snorts

“Wow. His face is completely dark now”

“B-BE QUIET! IT IS  _ NOT! _ ”

Even Tom looked amused which made Sammy want to absolutely melt into a puddle now. Slumping his head to the table with a painful thud, Norman moves over to him sounding concerned

“Sammy- the table still has glass on it!”

Painfully, Sammy had come to that conclusion the second he’d done it; he was certain there was now glass lodged into his forehead. Lifting his head, he simply gives an unamused expression as he feels ink dripping down his face.

“Yes...I see that now.”

Allison clasps her hands to her mouth in surprise and worry while Susie grimaces

“Ugh… Sammy, I think you should go to the infirmary now.”

Getting up without hesitation, he sighs

“Yes. Yes I should. As should a certain mouthy  _ cowboy _ .”

Norman clanks as he takes an offended stance, projector head tilted on an angle at him in disbelief

“Cowboy?! What makes ya think i’m anything like a  _ cowboy?! _ ”

Slowly smirking, Sammy takes the offended projectionist’s arm as he leads him towards the infirmary 

“Gee, I don’t know… jangling with every step, southern accent, constantly having had that stupid  _ toothpick in your mouth... _ ”

Sammy hadn’t forgotten about the obnoxious habit the projectionist had in the past; no matter where he was or what occasion, Norman  _ always _ had a toothpick in his mouth. He wasn’t sure what for, but he figures it must’ve been a habit gained from smoking after he’d quit. Either way, the constant chewing up and spitting out of the damned things drove him up the wall sometimes.

Regardless, Norman was scoffing with disbelief at him while Susie was laughing and Allison seemed amused. Even the grumpy Boris-Tom seemed amused. Norman, however, was being very grumbly about it

“Cowboy… I ain’t a damn  _ cowboy _ . Also the toothpick thing wasn’t  _ really _ dumb, was it??”

Rolling his eyes, Sammy stops for a moment to face Norman before taking hold of his projector head with both hands

“Norman… I love you with  _ all _ my heart. But I want you to know, in full honest truth… the toothpick habit was gross. At least when you  _ chewed _ them. But… maybe they  _ did _ make you look kind of cute…”

Before letting it go to Norman’s head though, Sammy turns away pulling him along again

“...it was still dumb though.”

Snorting, Norman shakes his head behind Sammy

“Well, I don’t care. I liked how they felt in my mouth. Huh… really wish I still  _ had _ a mouth…”

Rolling his eyes again, Sammy smiles to himself as they finally reach the infirmary

“Who knows… maybe someday you’ll figure it out.”

Though, Sammy  _ did _ have to admit one thing; it would be nice to actually kiss Norman at least  _ once…  _ but he supposes that fantasy would have to wait. Currently, they had a  _ lot _ of glass removing to do.


	31. The Next Step

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a strange visionary dream that brings back an uncomfortable memory, Henry wakes to find his friends waiting on him for what's next. Bendy continues to show concerning 'signs' about his origins, while Henry is starting to face his past more than he bargained for- and sometimes very awkwardly. He has to keep going though... prepare for what's next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none

* * *

“Two roads…”

Henry was mumbling to himself, half asleep at the moment; he had been going over a lot of thoughts, questions, and even memories that he could still recall. Currently, he was thinking about the little speech Joey always gave him when finishing a loop... he always mentioned two different paths. Did it mean something more with how much he repeated it, or was it just because it was a loop?

“Two paths…”

Slowly, his half-asleep state started forming imagery behind his eyes as he lay there. He could see himself from some kind of third-person view, standing and facing Joey. Beneath the two of them was a pathway that almost seemed to be glowing as the rest of the world around them was dark empty space. Henry and Joey both looked like they were in black and white which was odd considering they weren’t a cartoon. 

Walking side by side then, Henry watches as Joey and himself began to traverse the path together. Slowly however, he could see a line starting to form down the center of the path between them; it was only growing wider the further they went until the path suddenly split completely. Both the other him and Joey paused at the split, glancing to one another looking reluctant. 

Despite it however, it was Henry who took the first step cautiously testing his own path. He remembers that moment… He could see Joey holding out a hand, trying to stop him…

“Don’t go! Please! This company  _ needs _ you, Henry!”

Standing in front of Joey’s desk, Henry was already wearing his jacket and had a box of his few things at the studio packed and in his hands. Joey was leaning over his desk, trying to reach for him as if he wanted to physically stop him

“If you leave now everything will fall into ruins! We built this  _ together! _ We have to see it through  _ together! _ Don’t you see, Henry?!”

Frowning, Henry could feel a coldness settle over him; his typically warm heart was anything but in the moment

“No, Joey. If anything  _ I _ built this company with  _ my _ hard work while all you do is  _ dream _ . You come up with big ideas then push me to achieve them  _ for _ you! If this company can’t run without me, then it was never ‘ours’ to begin with.”

Looking taken aback, Joey straightened up slowly before looking angry

“Henry Stein… we built this dream as a dedication to  _ us! _ It’s supposed to be the hard work of the two of us! Sure, I push you to work hard- but you’re supposed to push me back! That’s what it takes to run a business! It isn’t always laughter and fun!”

Clenching his hands around the box he was holding, Henry grits his teeth

“No! You listen to  _ me, _ Joey! You pushed me to work hard, then I  _ tried _ to push you but you  _ never _ picked up the work! I even pushed you to at least be a  _ decent person _ , but…” 

Joey stared at him blankly, waiting for Henry to finish the sentence but Henry sighed and moves on

“You took advantage of my work. You used my naive willingness to think it was really fair all this time, but I’m done. If anything… with all this- this pushing, and shoving... you’ve pushed me  _ away _ from you. I-I don’t even know if you see us as  _ friends _ anymore!”

Looking even more hurt, Joey silently rests his hands on his desk before sighing and rubbing his forehead with one. Henry felt like he was on the verge of tears; he hated having to feel like this. He hated he was doing this. He hated that he was leaving.

“Henry, I… I’m sorry. You’re right; I haven’t been fair to you. Just… please. Don’t leave? This company really  _ does _ need you here- you’re important! If you want me to change, then i’ll change! I promise! It doesn’t have to end like this...”

Looking down, Henry tried to hide his hurt but he failed as a tear escapes his eye

“You already  _ broke _ that promise from the start, Joey. You said you would change a hundred times and you  _ never _ did… and I just... I just can’t give you another chance like that. And frankly. I don’t think it’s just the company that needs me. I think it’s  _ you _ who needs me.”

Looking up, Henry met the solemn shocked expression of Joey who looked like he was losing something he couldn’t live without. To be fair… that may have just been the truth.

“Henry… don’t you walk out that door.”

“I’m sorry, Joey. The studio, the cartoon, our… whatever was between us if you’d even  _ call _ it friendship anymore- It’s over. And I’m never coming back.”

Turning away then, Henry began to walk out of the office heading for the exit but he could hear Joey scrambling from behind his desk to chase him. Bracing himself, Henry walked more briskly for the exit door reaching the hall leading to it when his arm was grabbed and pulled to a halt. Closing his eyes tightly, Henry uses all his strength to throw off Joey’s grasp before turning to glare at him.

Instead, he softens at the upset surprise from both his own reaction and Joey’s hurt expression.

“Don’t… don’t try and stop me anymore. I mean it. Nothing will make me come back.”

Turning again worried Joey’s face would make him feel guiltier and change his mind, Henry started heading for the door as Joey began wildly shouting behind him

“Henry Stein, if you go through that door, you’ll be making a  _ huge _ mistake! Are you listening to me?! You’ll be leaving behind fame, fortune, and your  _ only friend! _ Without the studio, you’ll have  _ nothing! _ Do you HEAR ME?! Without me, you’ll be  _ NOTHING! _ ”

Grabbing the door, Henry pulls it open keeping his back turned to Joey while blinking away tears. Of  _ course _ he didn’t want to leave- he truly, and wholly loved his work; he loved the studio, and he loved Bendy. But he didn’t love Joey. Not anymore.

“Henry... Don’t you  _ dare _ step through that door!”

Standing silently, Henry stared off into the windy cold of the just passing winter outside, his coat and hair being rustled by it. 

“...Goodbye, Joey.”

Stepping outside finally, Henry headed for his car not bothering to close the door; he knew Joey would just reopen it anyways. 

“Henry! Come back! You have no  _ idea _ what you’re doing! Henry! HENRY!” 

Ignoring the now desperate pleas of his old friend, Henry dropped into the driver seat of his car shutting the door. He could still hear Joey through its window, pleading for him to stay. Turning his key however, he breathed in deeply before sighing; there was no going back now. He had told Joey he wanted a family, a happy life to settle down… and Joey… he said it would just get in the way of success. That was something Henry just couldn’t set aside for ‘their’ studio anymore. That he couldn’t set aside for Joey.

As he drove further and further away from the studio, the world only grew darker and Henry felt colder and lonelier than ever; his heart was aching terribly.

Sniffing awake, Henry slowly realizes he’d actually fallen asleep and dreamed the memory vividly. Opening his eyes, he sniffs again wiping his cheek and looking at his hand... he’d been  _ actually  _ crying in his sleep. Sighing, he closes his eyes again before flinching as a voice next to him suddenly speaks up

“Henry? A-are ya alright?”

Opening his eyes and sitting up rather quickly, he wipes his eyes before turning to see Bendy looking up at him with concern. 

“Bendy? When did you get here... and how long were you standing there?”

Almost as if he were guilty, Bendy puts both arms behind his back while shuffling one foot and looking down

“A bit… I came ta tell ya somethin’, but saw you were sleepin’ so I was gonna wait. Then ya just… kinda started mumblin’ an’ cryin’ in yer sleep. I wasn’t sure if I shoulda woke ya…”

Sighing softly, Henry reaches over before picking up a surprised Bendy and setting him in his lap so he could hug him. Looking a bit embarrassed at first, Bendy slowly hugs him back.

“It’s fine. Just a bad dream…”

“Ya sure seem ta get those a lot, huh?...”

Before he can respond, a familiar posh voice spoke up nearby;

“I hope we aren’t intruding on something, but we have some news regarding Susie…”

Looking over once more, Henry finds Edgar and Alice were both standing there looking as concerned as Bendy. However, Henry was more focused on what Edgar had said

“Susie?? What news? Did something happen??”

Bendy slumps on Henry in his arms, making him look down at the little demon briefly before gently putting a hand on his head and looking up again. Alice smiles at that, but she still looked a bit worried over Henry as Edgar explains;

“Nothing bad actually, it’s great news! Er, mostly great news. She came out of the jar and is mostly herself again! But uh, the jar exploded and sent glass everywhere…”

Furrowing his Brow, Henry looks down to Bendy

“Did anyone get hurt?”

Bendy meets his gaze without answering so Edgar sighs looking to Bendy and doing so for him

“Thankfully, not as far as we can tell.”

Nodding, Henry looks over to Edgar

“And Susie?...”

Alice answers him instead

“She seems happy with herself! I didn’t see her before she was in the jar, but everyone else said she looks more like herself”

Henry blinks before smiling a bit at that

“That’s great news… thank you for letting me know.”

Alice beams happily at him until Sammy and Norman came sauntering in, Sammy’s head dripping ink and Norman… glittering? Henry soon realizes that they had not been spared the jar’s glass shrapnel after all...

“So much for nobody getting hurt…”

Bendy snorts from his arms, looking at Sammy

“What happened to you, huh?? I thought yer boyfriend took it all!”

Looking grouchy and unamused, Sammy scoots past Alice and Edgar before he slumps onto the stool in the cramped infirmary

“I made the mistake of hitting my head on the still glass-covered table.”

Bendy snorts again laughing while Henry shakes his head; he looks to Norman, frowning

“Doesn’t that hurt?”

Sammy snorts in response for him, giving Norman a look

“He  _ says _ it doesn’t, but I don’t believe it.”

Norman crosses his arms shrugging

“It’s true; it doesn’t hurt at all.”

Bendy holds up a hand looking smug

“So, it won’t hurt if I do  _ this _ then?”

Henry grimaces at that

“Bendy, wait-”

Bendy naturally ignored him however as the ink Norman was composed of almost looked like it was bubbling. Reverting back to his inhuman screech sound, Henry couldn’t blame Norman for the loud reaction as glass showered out of him onto the floor. Sammy stared in horror before standing up off the stool shouting at Bendy

“STOP! YOU’RE HURTING HIM!”

Bendy however simply shrugs, having already finished; Norman was shaken a little, but otherwise seemed okay…

“Okay… that…  _ that  _ hurt.”

Sammy turns to Norman taking hold of his arms and looking him over before sighing in relief

“Are you alright?..”

“Fine; if anything, the little gremlin fixed me. Still...”

“WH- GREMLIN?! WHY I OUGHTA-”

Henry rolls his eyes holding Bendy back while he squirms angrily in his arms; he actually felt a little worried. Bendy didn’t seem to hesitate when causing Norman pain like that… but he was just trying to help, right?

“Sorry about that… he did the same for me once, I promise he’s just trying to help.”

Sammy snorts, crossing his arms

“I think I remember that... Still didn’t have to be so  _ rude _ about it-eeyYEOW!”

In that moment, Bendy had raised his arm again and made the glass in Sammy’s forehead come out as well. Holding his forehead, Sammy moved his hand finding it had healed quickly; he looked rather irate about it however. Henry couldn’t blame him either.

“Alright, you want to play  _ games _ you little-”

Sammy’s anger died down quickly as Norman grasps his shoulder, pulling him into a hug. Blinking, the music director sighs and slumps against him

“...You’re all lucky I don’t outright  _ hate _ you…”

Henry looks down at Bendy, brow furrowed with concern

“Bendy, why did you do that?? You didn’t have to be so harsh about it.”

Looking up at Henry, Bendy frowns

“I just thought Norman pretendin’ he wasn’t hurt was dumb. If he was seriously injured, it coulda been bad! So, I taught him a lesson…”

Henry gives him a look

“Bendy… that’s still not nice.”

Sighing, he rolls his eyes but pouts

“Yeah, yeah… I just wanted to help, too. I figured the faster it went, the faster it’d stop hurtin’! A lotta hurt real quick rather then less hurt but longer sounds better ta me!”

Henry sighs himself then

“I guess… but what about Sammy?”

“He was bein’ sassy. Also, I was  _ still  _ helpin’ out.”

Henry tries not to grin at that while Sammy scoffs, Bendy grinning a little; Alice gently pats Sammy on the shoulder then

“Like I said, he’s mischievous but still does his best to help out…”

Edgar makes a bit of a face at that

“I do not believe i’ll be purposefully seeking his assistance anytime soon myself then…”

Bendy sticks his tongue out at the striker who rolls his eye in return before Bendy grins again

“Yer just a scaredy cat! It’s not like i’d hurt ya on purpose or anythin’! I just like ta have some fun!”

He goes quiet however as Henry gets up out of the bed, holding the demon in his arms as he does so. Looking to Henry curiously, Bendy tilts his floating head

“Are ya feelin’ better?... does it still hurt? Are ya still dizzy?”

Smiling a little, Henry ruffles the demon’s head who sticks out his tongue in protest

“I’m fine. If anything, I’ve had more than enough downtime in my recovery… I’m more than ready to do something productive for a change.”

He looks over to Sammy and Norman then, who were standing side by side looking to him in return

“So… I hear Susie’s back?”

Sammy nods, looking out from the infirmary’s door now

“She’s actually doing better than before she melted. She’s fully stable physically, and I think her mental health is improving too… she’s also getting along with Allison, which is nice.”

Norman snorts, looking to Sammy 

“Yeah, in their mutual mockery of you…”

Looking grumpy, Sammy crosses his arms

“They were only  _ joking _ about that! Besides, I’m just glad she doesn’t have to be the only woman around here anymore. I can’t imagine how isolating that felt…”

Edgar gives a ‘hmph’ of amusement at that, giving sammy a curious smile

“So, you have your own chivalrous code of honor too, then? Even if you may not call it that…”

Making a face, Sammy huffs

“It’s just decency! Joey didn’t hire many women back then. I just thought it was unfair for her to always be crowded with men…”

Norman leans over his shoulder rather smug then

“Ya never complained about being crowded with them yourself, ya know…”

Flustering, Sammy shoves Norman’s face away as the projectionist gives a hearty laugh buzzing from his speaker. Henry snorts a little, smiling at their shenanigans; Sammy was right though. Joey didn’t hire a lot of women… and he had a couple sneaking suspicions as to why, considering. One of them being he was still somewhat stuck in ‘old ways’ as they called it, which really was just idiocy in disguise. The other...

“You know Joey was into men, right?...”

Pausing, everyone’s attention turned to Henry with a lot of stares. He expected that. Rolling his eyes, Henry sets down the also staring Bendy whose big beady eyes might as well have been drilling into him like spotlights.

“Don’t act all too surprised… everyone he hired was their own brand of special, in many ways. That, and many of which were like us… why do you think he liked having you guys around so much?”

Sammy makes a pure face of disgust, grabbing Henry by the shoulders and shaking him a bit

“PLEAAASE tell me he was NOT using me as EYE CANDY Henry! PLEASE!!”

Caught off guard by the statement, Henry cackled out loud at Sammy’s dismay joined in by Norman and Bendy only making the music director despair more

“OH LORD OF HEAVEN OR HELL, HE DID DIDN’T HE?!”

Alice looked upward at the mention, a questioning look on her face before Henry sighs and manages to calm his laughter waving a hand

“No, no- he hired you for your talent! I was just joking!...”

Smirking a bit, Henry tried not to laugh again

“...mostly.”

Sammy’s face drops at that, staring at him

“Henry…  _ please _ , just tell me the  _ truth _ ”

Sighing, Henry looks to him

“Okay, okay; I’m joking about that. But he  _ did _ hire a lot of people nobody else would because of sexuality, disability, and all. He was always on about ‘making a family for those who need it’… sure, he was an  _ ass _ , but at least the sentiment was nice. He used to mean it.”

Sighing in relief, Sammy points at Henry who can only grin

“You know you’re almost bad as  _ Bendy _ sometimes, right?”

“Who do you think wrote him in the first place?”

Standing there smiling, Henry could see Sammy look down to the also smiling Bendy before glancing between them a couple times and looking unamused

“...That makes a  _ lot _ of sense, actually. You put yourself in him… of course you did…”

Bendy snorts, shrugging

“Yeaaah, maybe a little- but the old man ain’t got nothin’ on me!”

Rolling his eyes, Henry turns to the door thinking about checking in with the others; he wanted to see how they were doing himself. Before he can head out though, Sammy stops him with a hand on his shoulder

“...Henry, I hope this doesn’t come off as uh… awkward, nosy, or rude- but I wanted to ask you something.”

Giving him a questioning look, Henry turns to him again

“Well… I’d have to hear the question first before judging that.”

Sighing, Sammy awkwardly shuffles his hands

“Just… you, and uh. Joey. You guys were friends, right? So it’d make sense if you knew a lot about him… but I was wondering…”

Slowly putting a hand in one pocket, Henry leans his posture a little to the side

“Uh huh?...”

Sammy almost looked like he was in pain from embarrassment; was it really that bad?

“Well, Joey always rejected offers anyone gave him for dinner, dates, and such. Sure, he’d sometimes take an employee or two out to dinner but it was only for show. He was always rather coldly adamant about never  _ really _ dating… do you… did something happen?”

As he stared blankly at Sammy, he began to look nervous and almost regretful of the question from Henry’s reaction. Well, more of the lack thereof. Monotonically, Henry answers;

“Yes, something happened. Joey had his heart broken, and didn’t let it go. He’s pretty bad at that.”

Sammy stares back now, almost looking afraid to speak so Norman takes over instead;

“So… take it that it wasn’t pleasant, huh?”

Henry blinks then, looking to him

“Well, I wouldn’t think  _ any _ heartbreak is pleasant… I can’t imagine how he felt, really. What are you implying?...”

“Well, I think with what Sammy was getting at, we wanna know if you-”

Allison pokes her head into the infirmary suddenly, interrupting the tense conversation that had made everyone rather quiet. It was a welcome relief, especially for Henry.

“Henry? Oh good, you’re awake; I was wondering if you could come check on things while we discuss a plan?...”

Looking to Norman and Sammy who both looked a bit awkward, Henry nods a little

“Yeah, I was just about to do that actually… I think it’s about time we prepare to tackle this problem head on.”

He looks to Allison who frowns at him

“You don’t mean…”

“I do. I think it’s about time we prepare to go into his lair. Win or lose… we need to end it.”


	32. The Final Draft

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the team back together and everyone settling in again, Henry decides it's time they take the next step- form a plan to end the studio's horrors once and for all. Though a sense of finality seems to be in the air, so many unanswered issues remain... and it seems the end is far from reach even now. Though their plan seems to be coming together, things decide to take a different turn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none
> 
> Notes: This update there's three drawings this time, one for 32 and two for 33! That's a lot more than usual because so much was going on but it was fun! I'm still trying to keep up with posting regularly, but there's a lot going on especially with the pandemic. Again, I HIGHLY appreciate you all reading and enjoying my work; your support is amazing!

* * *

Sitting at a table that had plans scattered over it, Henry was rolling out another sheet of paper while the others were looking over various parts of the table together. Henry dabbed a pen in a small pot of ink, quickly and skillfully scrawling over the paper before him to complete the last page to the assembly that was collaged to form a map of the ink machine’s interior. Along with this, Tom had graciously donated blueprints of its design and mechanisms to help accurately size and label everything.

Standing up straight now, Henry wiped his brow a bit before setting the pen down and looking around the table at everyone there. Bendy and the butcher gang were standing on chairs with Boris and Alice next to them, Susie stood by Sammy and Norman, then Tom next to Allison who was on Henry’s other side. All of his friends… people he could trust, that he wanted to save and protect… and now he was asking them to follow him straight into hell.

He could only hope he wasn’t leading them straight to their deaths.

“...Alright. This,” he paused to gesture at the map “is the ink machine. The machine that not only floods this place with ink, but with power. According to Tom, it’s the thing that may just be holding this entire place together… that, and it’s what’s keeping the Ink demon alive.”

Curious, Bendy looks up to Tom who gives him a look back

“How do ya know that, huh?? You some kinda demon specialist or somethin’??”

Tom sighs through his nose, looking to Allison who frowns

“Tom… I am a little curious. You always seemed to know a lot about him…”

Henry, however, already knew the answer; he’d seen Tom’s old work station and heard the recordings. He’d been there from the very beginning when the Ink demon first formed all the way to locking it away; it was safe to say he had some expertise having had to handle and contain him directly. 

Looking to Bendy, Henry speaks;

“He was there for the Ink demon’s creation- I heard it from the audio logs… Joey told Tom to lock him away because he’d been letting the Ink demon wander around his office”

Bendy makes a face at that, looking to Tom questioningly while Sammy slams his hands to the table leaning over it (much to Henry’s dismay as the ink is smeared)

“I KNEW IT! Gent WAS hiding something- and so was Joey!!” 

He dramatically leaned in for emphasis as he spoke

“How long?! How long did the Ink demon exist under our noses!”

Tom crossed his arms giving him a look before Allison shakes her head, looking to Sammy 

“I don’t think that’s the topic we should be focusing on right now… that’s all in the past; we’re here to discuss fighting the Ink demon here, in the  _ now _ . Not.. his birth or something. If Tom knew anything we  _ needed _ to know, he would’ve said something.”

Slowly, Sammy leaned off the table still looking curious before he crosses his arms gazing down where he’d smeared the map

“Right… so; what  _ is  _ the plan, then?”

Henry leans forward himself now, placing small ink figures of everyone he’d had Bendy use the ink to make. They were cartoonish and a little crude, but they served their purpose. Gesturing to the cavernous gap between the ink to the machine’s entrance, he prepares to give his lecture;

“First thing’s first… we need to get  _ into _ the machine. There are several ways to achieve this. The first way is Bendy moves the ink so we can wade across... the second is Bendy turns the ink into a solid walkable surface, but it might be bad to touch the ink even when solid. The last option is we make something to get us all through, like a boat. Personally, I think moving the ink for everyone to walk through would be the easiest thing to do- but it might tire out Bendy before we even fight the Ink demon.”

Barley looks down at the drawn gap, speaking quietly

“I’m good at building, but… i’d need time, and the Ink demon might notice.”

Henry nods, looking to him

“Not to mention we’d have to be able to fit anything we’re bringing through a narrow hallway; that means a boat wouldn’t fit unless we brought it in pieces,  _ then _ assembled it. We don’t have that kind of time.”

Bendy shrugs, looking to Henry

“Guess either way, I’m gonna have ta use my powers, huh?”

Edgar looked a bit concerned at that, glancing to Henry 

“But like you mentioned, it may just exhaust him! The last time I witnessed Bendy overuse his abilities he passed out…”

Bendy grimaces a bit, shrugging

“It wasn’t  _ that _ bad!...”

“You passed out. You know, fell unconscious?”

“I’ve had worse!”

Henry sighs, shaking his head a little

“We’ll just have to hurry so we don’t overdo it. There’s really not much of an other option. So, I suppose we all dash for the inner hall of the ink machine then, right?”

Everyone gave various looks and nods of acknowledgement, so Henry moves on pushing their figures into the front hall of the machine

“Once inside, we’ll be in the main printing halls that lead to the throne room. Usually, this is where the Ink demon confronts me after playing an audio log by Joey talking about how he’s been there for his beginning but never for the end. He has a reel titled ‘the end’ that plays a title card saying the same thing, and usually when I play it it burns him away and resets everything. This time, we need to figure something  _ else _ out.”

Looking down over the mapped out prints, they all examine it slowly before Barley points at the ‘throne’ room

“This room… it’s not meant to be just a throne room. The blueprints say it was meant for something else…”

Henry nods, looking at the room’s blueprints

“There’s a massive pipe over the throne itself that has some kind of spotlight over the center, which is strange… the grate around the throne suggests ink would flow from it if it were on…”

Bendy snorts, giving Henry an inquisitive look

“Really? I think the last thing we should do is pour more ink on ‘im. It might just make him stronger!”

Sammy shivers, sharing a look with Susie

“Not to mention if it flooded, touching the ink would melt us…”

Henry frowns, furrowing his brow

“We don’t have to turn on the pipe and bring ink in, but… what if we use that drain grate? Maybe the more ink we remove, the less power he’d have.”

Tom snorts then, shaking his head and holding out his hands; Henry wished he knew what he was trying to say. Allison thankfully spoke for him;

“...If we were to lock him away from any source of ink, wouldn’t that mean  _ sealing _ him inside the machine? You know, away from any pipes, and with  _ us? _ …”

Henry sighs, looking around to everyone briefly before focusing back to Allison

“Unfortunately… that’s true. There’s the chance we’ll be locked in with him, but we have to keep him from escaping. You weren’t there for it, but the rest of us got to see just how bad it gets when the Ink demon has access to plenty of ink…”

All around Henry could see fearful uncomfortable looks as they remembered, besides Bendy who simply seemed irritated. Allison sighs, shrugging with her arms crossed

“...alright, so how do we do that then? Where can we seal him in that doesn’t have  _ any _ ink when the machine is full of it?”

Henry looks over the plans again, noting that the throne room had quite a few pipes running through it. 

“Maybe not a room that’s already devoid of it… but we can empty one. Tom, Barley, do you think we could cut off all the ink flow through the pipes that go through the middle throne room?”

Taking a moment to examine the blueprints, Barley looks to Tom who slowly nods before pointing to the papers while Barley examines them. The fisher speaks for him then;

“...It’s possible, but it’s not going to be easy. We’d have to activate failsafe mechanisms in the event of broken pipes, but that would require finding and reaching the main control…”

From the other side, Susie points to part of the map tapping it

“Controls like that would probably be in the back against the stone wall where it’s the most guarded. You wouldn’t want something important as an emergency shut down easy to break and mess with…”

Tom and Barley look to her curiously before she shrugs

“What? I’ve been using the elevator controls a lot, and gone through my fair share of blueprints while here… I had to do  _ something _ to pass the time.”

Henry nods, looking to Tom who nods back

“Alright, then we’ll have to work together to do several things at once; one team will have to power and activate the emergency shut down for those pipes, another team will have to distract and try to lure the Ink demon back to the throne room so he doesn’t catch on.”

Norman finally speaks up then, holding a hand out over the map

“Okay, but when we  _ do _ get the Ink demon trapped,  _ then _ what? We’ll have an angry demon trapped ina small room that might have some of us in it  _ with _ him. We don’t exactly have any physical way to hurt him even if we  _ do _ plan t’ off him. What happens next?”

Henry sighs looking down at the map spread over the table before reaching over and dropping a miniature of the Ink demon into the throne room.

“Well, I don’t exactly intend to hurt him if we can help it... actually… I wanted to try talking to him”

Everyone around the table leaned forward at that, giving him looks of shock and disbelief before Sammy sputters

“T-Talk to him?! Did you hit your head when we fell in the elevator??”

Rolling his eyes, Henry looks down at the figure of the Ink demon while moving his own in front of it

“Maybe, but that has nothing to do with it. When he had us in his grasp back at level 13, he could have  _ easily _ wiped us out; instead, he hesitated when I spoke to him. Something tells me things aren’t as black and white with him as we might think…”

Henry paused for a moment unable to help but grin at his words 

“...no pun intended.”

He was met with several groans and looks over the bad joke while Sammy shakes his head, crossing his arms

“Henry, I used to  _ worship _ him believing he had a ‘benevolent’ side... and guess what? Now, I absolutely do  _ not _ think there is even the tiniest ounce of good in that purely evil  _ demon _ . Besides, you’re just going to stand there and  _ talk _ to him?! He still has claws you know!”

Bendy places his hands on the table, leaning towards Henry

“Yeah! What if he just starts tearin’ ya apart?!”

Shaking his head, Henry looks down at their map again

“I’m not careless; of course I thought of that. When Bendy and I were luring him to the abyss, I found that the doors to miracle stations hold power after being removed from the station for a certain amount of time. If we can get enough of them, we can literally box him in as long as someone is behind each door.”

Allison furrows her brow, pointing to the figure of the Ink demon as she speaks

“So you need several people locked in that room with you and him, holding him hostage with doors?... doors that won’t hold him in forever? And you think you can convince him not to kill us in that time frame?”

Bendy pouts at that, crossing his arms

“Not ta mention that they start losin’ power the second ya break ‘em off… they’d be useless by the time we gotta bunch of doors and brought ‘em in! How would we get all that done in time??”

Henry frowns, rubbing his chin

“Do you think we could bring the whole stations with us?...”

Several looks of skepticism told him otherwise. Besides, the Ink demon would surely know something was up if he saw a bunch of miracle stations brought before the ink machine.

Taking a deep breath, Henry runs a hand through his hair

“Alright, then we need to drag stations to the machine’s front door where he  _ might  _ not see them and work quickly as possible. It at least gives us a shot. If that doesn’t work, then we’ll have to go to plan B…”

He felt almost pained saying it, but that’s because he was; Plan B wasn’t something he wanted to even think about. Bendy gives him a questioning look, tilting his head

“...what’s Plan B?”

Sighing softly, Henry looks up to everyone grimly

“...we kill him.”

He could feel Bendy staring at him, his gaze almost burning; he knew he didn’t like that answer. Alice angel had her hands over her mouth, looking to Boris who seemed fairly nervous about it as well. Norman pipes up again however, turning everyone’s attention to him (minus Bendy who was still staring at Henry);

“Alright, so if the talk fails, we kill ‘im… but,  _ again _ , how do ya suggest we do that when we don’t have any weapons that can hurt ‘im?”

Henry closes his eyes for a moment before he sighs and lifts a wooden box onto the table that was shut with latches.

“Actually… I made something for that.”

Leaning back from the table, Norman cocks his head a little

“Damn… ya really prepared for this, huh? So… what is it?”

Unlatching the box, everyone’s attention was focused on it with curiosity as he opened it with a gentle toss of the lid; reaching into folded fabric to pull it out, Henry displays his weapon. The fabric draped away as he lifted up the makeshift weapon he’d spent hours manufacturing. 

In his hand was a rather unique ‘sword’- the hilt was part of a broken axe wrapped in leather, and the ‘blade’ was two panes of thick glass he’d cut into a blade shape with difficulty that were held together by a metal frame around its edge, sharpened along the cutting side. Between metal and glass were rows of lights sealed to be liquid proof, as between the glass was a clear liquid that slightly glittered under normal lighting. 

Gaining looks of confusion, he could tell the others didn’t understand what it was; but Bendy and Allison seemed to slowly realize. Moving the weapon in front of himself, Henry presses a button at the end of the handle that had been wired through the whole thing. With a click, all of the lights inside the casing illuminated turning the clear liquid a gold so bright it was difficult to look at. 

Switching it off again, Henry slowly laid the weapon back into the box before Sammy broke the silence;

“Alright, what the  _ hell _ is that?? It looks like a sword, but… well, why on earth does it do  _ that?? _ ”

Henry pulls an inkpot from his pocket, holding it up; it looked like a normal ink pot, but he opens it and takes a clean pen writing with the clear liquid inside it on the paper before them. It looked as if there were nothing there until he holds up the looking glass, turning it on to reveal what he’d written glowing gold: ‘Hope’. Henry smiles a bit before finally answering

“Ever since I got here and learned about the loop, I developed a way to leave messages for myself… I made my own ink I guess you could say. I… I make it using things not found here anymore. It’s complicated… but the point is, I’ve made this sword filled with it because the golden light… it seems to affect him.”

Bendy nods, looking at the Ink demon’s figure

“When I was fightin’ with him, I turned the ink all glowy, then BOOM! It got rid of ‘im! Whatever it is, he doesn’t like it”

Allison gently touches the sword, curious

“It’s almost like you filled it with liquid ‘hope’ if you could call it that… but, that’s silly. What’s  _ really _ in it?”

Henry looks to the sword, able to see a reflection of his own face in it; he looked more worn and tired than usual.

“Well, water for one thing… and acetone. It’s mostly diluted acetone. There’s some other cheimcals mixed in, but not much”

Giving him a funny look, Susie snorts at him

“Acetone water?... So, ink remover? Ink remover is our ‘hope magic’.”

“Well, sort of? It makes sense, if you think about it- ink being weak to something that dilutes and destroys it. But That’s not everything... it’s only reactive under bright light, because otherwise it’d melt everything it touched- including Bendy”

Bendy makes a face at that, crossing his arms into an X

“Nope! No thanks!”

Henry gave him a reassuring smile, but Edgar gives him a questioning look

“...Where did you find pure water and acetone? I have never seen  _ either  _ in this studio, and my gang has searched it thoroughly in most reachable places, I assure you.”

Sighing, Henry gently touches the sword

“It’s a place only I can go when the loop resets. Like I said… it’s complicated. I don’t entirely understand myself, but I always get brought there… why always  _ there _ …”

Getting curious looks, Henry shakes it off looking up again

“Either way, we have a way to end the Ink demon’s reign on this place forcefully if it comes to that. But I’d  _ really _ rather not have to resort to that unless we absolutely have to.”

Allison gently places a hand on Henry’s shoulder, giving him an empathetic look

“I think I can understand why you’d feel that way… but the rest of us, well... I hope this doesn’t come off too harsh, but we aren’t as hesitant to be rid of him.”

Next to her, Henry caught Tom looking a bit conflicted over Allison’s words; if anyone, wouldn’t he want to be rid of the Ink demon the most? Either way, Henry nods to Allison before closing and relatching the box.

“Right. So… either the Ink demon stops trying to kill us, or we have to kill him. Either way, this isn’t going to be easy and it might be the last thing any of us ever does. I don’t know what will happen if we succeed, but there’ll be no going back… that much i’m sure of.”

Taking a deep breath, Henry slowly looks around at everyone one at a time, his gaze lingering on Bendy in particular

“What I mean by that is anyone who comes might not make it back out. It’s dangerous, and could be the end for… all of us. I’m not going to sugar coat it and lie, but there’s a strong chance something will go horribly wrong and we won’t return from it.”

Sammy frowns, leaning forward a bit

“But nobody  _ really _ dies here, right? If we do get hurt… we just come back!... right??”

Henry slowly meets his gaze, concerned

“...I don’t know. I want to say we can, but… things are different now. I don’t know if the Ink demon made it so we don’t, but the wounds he gave me didn’t heal like normal. So… I’d say be prepared for the worst.”

Susie looks down at the table then, their figures circled around the Ink demon’s

“So… you’re asking us if we’re willing to follow you to our deaths?”

Sammy looks down as well, still frowning

“To risk everything we’ve been working towards, and everything we’ve come to know for this?...”

Charley wraps his arms around a grumpy Edgar and frowning Barley, leaning in with them

“An’ that we might lose our friends, our lives, or both?”

Nodding, Henry frowns himself

“Essentially… yeah. This could be the end for us. We have a plan, our hopes, and a chance at escape if we figure this out… but I can’t guarantee anything.”

The group fell silent, sharing looks as they thought about it. Henry was worried that after everything, they might back out now- but he couldn’t blame them for the fear. Afterall, facing the Ink demon never got easier for him personally, so he couldn’t imagine how difficult it would be for them. 

Slowly, Henry could see Sammy look at Bendy before breaking the silence

“...Well, if we quit  _ now _ , we wouldn’t be getting anywhere, would we? Besides… it doesn’t hurt to have a  _ little _ faith in something for once that isn’t lies, a false idol, or empty promises. At least you’re honest… Besides, if Bendy is on our side, maybe we have a proper fighting chance?”

Bendy blinks and looks to Sammy who acts aloof while avoiding looking at him, but Bendy was already grinning. Susie looks to her gang curiously then,

“What do you guys think?...”

Edgar glances to Charley and Barley before his gaze meets with and settles on Bendy’s

“Well… I suppose I share some of the sentiments with the shrill music director-”

“ _ WHAT DID YOU CALL ME _ -?”

“-as Bendy has fought and bested the Ink demon several times now. I have faith in him, and I suppose by extension, Henry.”

Charley gives a curt laugh and pats Edgar who grunts and gives him a look

“I gotta agree with Ed here! Besides, what else do we have to lose? We ain’t got much goin’ for us if we sit around doin’ nothing!”

Barley nods silently, not saying anything but clearly in agreement. Susie sighs, looking to Henry

“Well, I suppose if they’re going, I don’t have a reason not to...”

Norman shakes his head, putting an arm around the still puffing Sammy

“I ain’t leavin’ Sammy to run around on his own, so I’m comin’ too.”

Allison and Tom share a brief look before looking to Henry smiling; it was clear they’d already decided when they joined in the first place. Henry looks to Alice Angel and Boris then, raising an eyebrow

“What about you guys? Boris, I know you don’t like danger... and Alice, you’re probably not much for violence. I’d understand if you don’t want to come.”

Boris huffs, giving him a determined look and standing firm before signing

‘I’m not leaving my friends behind! I was alone long enough, and now that I’ve found a new home with you all i’m not leaving.’

Alice smiles warmly, leaning her head on Boris’ shoulder who looks to her

“I’m with Boris on that! Allison and Tom are my good friends, and I’m still just getting to know all the wonderful people here! Besides… I couldn’t abandon Bendy when he promised he wouldn’t abandon me!”

She smiles down at Bendy who stares for a moment, flustering a bit and smiling back

“Aw, shucks Alice…”

Henry smiles at that, nodding.

“Alright… then it seems it’s settled. We’re going to face the Ink demon together, for better or for worse… but having you guys there at all… I have a good feeling things will be much different this time.”

The time was finally coming- the time where they’d finally break the final part of the cycle, and hopefully escape. Freedom from the ink, the mundane repetition, and Joey’s miserable cycle… so he hoped. He had a good feeling.

Henry pauses in this thoughts though as he feels the floor start to rumble under them causing the whole room to shake. Without warning, he felt as if his mind was burning like he’d been struck with a hot iron through his head. Reminiscent of stepping into the magic circle back at the start of each loop, Henry starts seeing flashes of the same imagery; The ink machine, a wheelchair, the Ink demon…

Feeling like he was going to pass out again, Henry stumbles and clutches to the table as Allison calls out his name trying to catch him. From his other side, Bendy had hopped onto the table and grabbed him to help Allison hold him up before they slowly haul him back to his feet. Holding his head, Henry tries to focus away the throbbing; the rumbling had stopped.

Slowly, Sammy approaches him looking startled by the ordeal as much as the others

“What was that?? We don’t get earthquakes here from what I recall! Unless…”

In the brief quiet after the rumbling had stopped, a new sound began loudly filling the air; screaming and shouting. Turning wildly, Henry’s eyes widened as he realizes what Sammy had meant. The Ink demon.  _ He _ was the one who had caused all of the shaking. The ink…

“The lost ones… no. NO!-”


	33. It’s What’s Inside That Counts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry's worst fears start to come true as the Ink demon ravages through the lost one's encampment, hurting other and destroying the place. Ready to face the danger and taking on a one-on-one altercation, Bendy dives in to essentially face himself while the others are forced to look on. However, the fighting reveals a new side to both demons that leaves the group conflicted and on the verge of splitting... Henry can only hope to keep it all together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mild injury/impalement, mild body horror mention (like super mild it's not that bad I promise)
> 
> Note: Two drawings here :D see you all next update!

* * *

Not hesitating to wait for the others, Henry throws himself through the door of their meeting room and into the main area of the makeshift ‘town’. Running, Henry pushes through crowds of fleeing lost ones and searchers who were panicking to reach the center of the commotion. Struggling to see over them, he soon didn’t have to as ink rises up into view forming two hands that belonged to none other than their enemy.

“NO!- LEAVE THEM ALONE! STOP!”

Stumbling as he’s shoved by the panicked crowd, Henry trips and hits the half stone-half wooden floor. Head still throbbing and aching horribly from earlier, he struggles to lift himself when the room cleared rather suddenly. Looking up again, he witnesses the horror that had sent all of them fleeing. 

The Ink demon was tossing around lost ones and searchers both tearing them apart and absorbing them. His horrible grin was open in silent glee as he wrought havoc, making Henry’s gut twist with both fear and disgust; this was the person he wanted to try and reason with. This was who he wanted to try and save. Was he wrong to?-

“HEY! STINK DEMON!”

Blinking, Henry looks behind himself seeing Bendy and the others had finally caught up to him. Tom and Allison hurry over, helping him to his feet now as Bendy moves in front of Henry to glare at the Ink demon whose attention had snapped over.

“Why dontcha pick on someone half yer size with a major vendetta for ya, HUH?! Or are ya that pathetic ya gotta pick on defenseless people ta feel less like a  _ freak?! _ ”

Not so gleeful now, the Ink demon sneers at them. His almost cat-ear like horns pushed backwards in anger. In that terrible, chilling voice Henry still couldn’t get past he spoke only for he and Bendy to hear, and nobody else;

“ _ After everything, you /still/ have that overconfident childish cockiness… Perhaps you will never learn. _ ”

Sneering back at the Ink demon, Bendy takes a fighting stance

“You can call  _ me _ cocky, but yer the one thinkin’ you can just bust inta someplace an’ attack innocent people without gettin’ hit back!”

Chuckling darkly (making Henry shiver to the concern of Tom and Allison holding him up), the Ink demon tilts his head downwards while his grin spread wider somehow.

“ _ Can’t I? Besides… I’m not /really/ here for /them/… I just figured i’d have some fun to draw you out. And, like a little rat to a trap, you’ve fallen right in! _ ”

Henry frowns then, looking to Bendy

“Bendy, get back; I don’t trust this”

Behind him, Norman snorts

“Not much you can trust about that guy no matter what!”

Bendy ignores him however, staying put

“I ain’t backin’ off! If he wants a fight, he’s gonna  _ get _ a fight!”

“Bendy, no! That’s what he  _ wants! _ ”

The Ink demon cocks his head to one side then, mocking him

“ _ What’s the matter, ‘dancing demon’? Afraid? You always /were/ pathetic… _ ”

Squinting, Bendy looks ready to throw himself right into a fray

“Why I oughtta-”

Lunging forward and grabbing Bendy, Henry holds him tightly while backing away towards the others quickly as he can. Huddled, they all nervously glare down the Ink demon while Bendy struggles in Henry’s arms

“Let me go!! I can take ‘im!”

Frowning, Henry doesn’t take his eyes off the Ink demon who was simply standing there and smiling as ink pooled around him, his heartbeat echoing harshly off the stone walls

“Bendy, I know you can, but it’s not a good idea! You don’t have to throw yourself into harm’s way to prove anything; we’re together in this!”

Sammy pipes up then;

“Together, yes, but don’t expect me to go hand to hand with that  _ devil! _ ”

Tilting his head a bit then, the Ink demon looks towards Sammy who became even more nervous; Norman holds an arm in front of him defensively, but Sammy pushes it away gently. Giving a ‘hmm’ of thought, the Ink demon slowly looks back toward Bendy

“ _ So, they still don’t know the truth, do they?... Maybe Henry does, but you’re still lying to the rest of them… _ ”

“I Ain’t LYIN’! I don’t have nothin’ ta prove; they already trust me, an’ I trust them!”

The Ink demon silently gazes at him as Allison turns to Henry, giving him a questioning look

“What’s he talking about? Is the Ink demon  _ talking _ to him?? What’s he saying?”

Henry still doesn’t move his gaze, worried that if he looked away for one second the Ink demon might attack

“...He’s trying to taunt Bendy into fighting him. Said something about a trap…”

“What?? What trap?”

Allison backs up to stand next to Tom who looks to her briefly, the two clearly concerned; whatever the trap was, Henry knew he wasn’t going to be able to hold back Bendy forever. The Ink demon was making sure of that, as he speaks again;

“ _ How foolish… if they trust you, it’s because you’ve lied and fooled them into thinking you’re some savior that you’re not. Face it… you’re just a figment of me. A corrupted, evil, heartless /demon/. You’re nothing. The moment they learn where you /really/ came from… _ ”

“STOP! STOP IT! YOU’RE WRONG!”

Henry flinches from Bendy shouting in his arms, the little demon holding his hands to both sides of his head. He looked like he was trying to block out the Ink demon’s voice, which may have been more accurate than he knew

“Y-You can keep tryin’ ta tell me things, but the only liar here is you!! Yer the evil one!”

Standing up to his full, straightened height the Ink demon seemed unnaturally menacing even more so than before somehow. He easily towered oveer every last one of them, looming with cold hatred and dangerous capability to harm them.

“ _ Evil one?... You say that as if I’m the only evil here. /None/ of you are free of sin… and none of you are any less a demon than I. In fact, you may just be even worse because at least I was /made/ to be this way. But you?... Oh, no… you and your entourage of ‘friends’ chose it. _ ”

Taking a step forward, the Ink demon holds out his arms in a grand gesture as he lifts his head upwards making everyone back away a little. 

“ _ The difference between my evil and your evil is that I was always this way. But you… you all were given a choice, and with that choice, you still wanted to /choose/ evil. Be it shamelessly drilling others to work harder, obsession with beauty and manipulation, or even abandoning those who need you most to follow your own life’s dream with no regard for anyone… now /that/, is evil. _ ”

Henry frowns, feeling all kinds of emotions at once; guilt, worry, shame, confusion… there was a lot he was trying to consider. Bendy, however, breaks down the sincerity of the moment with a single sentence:

“Buddy… I hate ta break it to ya, but an evil monologue ain’t really effective when nobody can hear it.”

Staring at them, the Ink demon had paused before letting his arms fall back to his sides

“ _...How irritating. _ ”

As the Ink demon holds up a hand then, Henry can feel everyone around him tense before the ceiling cracks with another loud rumble. A heavy rushing sound builds from above before ink comes cascading down like a waterfall, separating them from the Ink demon who was smiling menacingly through the sheer liquid. Sammy sputters then, jumping up onto Norman

“INK! INK RISING ON THE FLOOR!”

Susie gasps and jumps onto Normans other side, making the poor projectionist grunt and struggle to hold them up.

“I DON’T WANT TO MELT AGAIN!!”

Bendy finally shoves free from Henry then, quickly running forward and using the cascade of ink to quickly crack the floor under the fall so it can drain away.

“You wanna fight so bad?! Fine! I ain’t holdin’ back!”

Before Henry can stop him, Bendy takes a running start and jumps, splashing through the waterfall of ink and throwing himself right into the open arms of the Ink demon.

“BENDY! NO!”

Running forward as well, Henry tries going through the ink only to find it had created a barrier he couldn’t pass through. Slamming his hands to it, he could feel ink rushing through his fingers- but it felt as if there was a wall behind it despite the fact nothing was there.

All he could do now was watch as the two struggled, Bendy kicking and biting the Ink demon who was digging clawed hands into him. On either side of Henry, the others approached to watch with shared concern. Then, slowly, they begin to cheer Bendy on with Sammy starting first, holding up his hands with eagerness as if he were watching a wrestling match (which, Henry thinks, it may as well be)

“Don’t let him win! Show that  _ monster _ who the real one in power is!”

Charley lets out a rallying cry, raising his hatchet hand and fist

“GET ‘IM BENDY! TEAR HIM A NEW ONE!”

Edgar looked incredibly nervous, his fists all clenched as he calls out

“You can do this! You’ve won before, you can do it again!”

Barley stayed silent, but Henry could tell he was also rooting for Bendy. Alice Angel gently touches the fisher’s shoulder reassuringly as Boris was holding her arm with nervous anticipation. Norman scoffs then, joining in

“He ain’t got nothin’ on ya! He’s just an abomination who can’t even get revenge right!”

Susie waves a hand, standing on her toes as if it would help her see better through the cascading ink

“Hey Ink demon, how’s it feel to lose to a  _ cartoon?! _ ”

Tom silently clanks his axe to his palm, while Henry hears Allison mutter encouragement under her breath. Behind him then, Henry hears a growing sound of eager encouragement; turning, he realizes that lost ones and searchers had come back to cheer on Bendy. Henry could only hope it would help Bendy through…   
  
“Come on Bendy… don’t give up. Hang on to what I’ve taught you. Hang on to hope…”

On the other side, Henry could see something amazing happening; Bendy was starting to  _ glow _ . The Ink demon sneers, digging his claws deeper into the little demon as they wrestled before rolling back to their feet from the floor.

“ _ How can you /still/- be- ALIVE?! _ ”

“‘Cause unlike you, people actually LOVE ME!”

Shoving the Ink demon down by his shoulders, Bendy managed to force him into a kneeling position. Then, Henry wasn’t sure if the ink waterfall was distorting his view... but it looked as if the glow around Bendy was spreading over the Ink demon…

...and making him  _ change? _

Pressing his hands harder against the barrier, Henry tries to see the best he can as the unbelievable act was happening before them. Struggling, the Ink demon was trying to push back against Bendy, but  _ shrinking _ and  _ changing _ . 

Throwing back his head in an angry yell that made Henry almost want to retreat, the Ink demon was encased in a shimmering gold glow like Bendy and looked almost  _ exactly like Bendy _ . He’d been morphed into a small, cartoon Bendy just like their beloved dancing demon. The only difference was the Ink demon still had ink dripping over and covering his eyes, and a malformed leg.

Bendy was clearly struggling, but managing to smirk

“S-See? Not so tough now, are ya! Y-Yer nothin’ but a  _ fraud! _ A Copy of the  _ real _ me!”

Shockingly, the Ink demon’s voice had morphed along with his form; it sounded almost like Bendy’s, but deeper and rather unnatural. Also, it was out loud rather than in Henry’s head for once

“The only fraud here is  _ you! _ P-pretending to be something you’re NOT! I’ll show them… I’ll prove to them all you’re a nobody just like me, because face it,  _ Bendy _ , if that’s even your name- None of them would love or support you if they knew the  _ real _ you!”

Faltering a bit with an almost fearful look, Bendy’s hold on the Ink demon weakened a bit as said demon quickly shifted back to his normal form. Then, to Henry’s utter horror, the glow vanished altogether as  _ /Bendy/ _ started to change...

Digging his claws far into the little demon’s shoulders, the Ink demon lifts him from the floor with a chaotic grin full of malice. Swirling around them, a howling unnatural wind of black ash-like flecks of ink made it even harder to see them in the dark. As it got louder, a chorus of gasps from everyone around Henry confirmed they were seeing it too.

Bendy’s body was melting a bit, and starting to twist and elongate; Sharp spines stuck out from his back, his horns grew longer as ink began obscuring his face, and he was started to become malformed as the Ink demon. However, it didn’t stop there; much to Henry’s further surprise, Bendy’s hands became clawed while a spiny tail erupted from behind him, spattering ink over the floor. Crying out in pain, Bendy’s open mouth reveals sharpened teeth that makes Henry reflexively move away from the wall.

Shoving away from the Ink demon now, Bendy was wildly looking at his now twisted demonic form; he looked near identical to the Ink demon aside from having both hands gloved, a more pronounced curl in his horns, and no broken leg (well, and some features that looked closer to the ‘beast’ form of the Ink demon). 

Turning to see everyone staring at him in horror, he seemed almost just as terrified, if not more so. Feeling his heart sink, Henry quickly moved back to the barrier slamming his hands to it

“BENDY! FIGHT IT AWAY! YOU’RE NOT WHAT HE SAYS YOU ARE- YOU’RE WHO YOU MAKE YOURSELF TO BE! DON’T LET HIM MAKE YOU SEE YOURSELF AS YOUR FEARS!”

Frozen, Bendy stares at Henry unmoving. The Ink demon, however, took this as an advantage as his already long claws extended further while he lunges. Before he strikes however, Edgar cries out in a loud shout;

“BENDY! LOOK OUT!”

Snapped out of it at the last second, Bendy barely moves away in time as the Ink demon’s claws slice downward, tearing over the right side of his shoulder and upper torso instead of his head. Howling in pain, he quickly throws the Ink demon away from himself with a blast of ink. Cackling coldly however, the Ink demon had quickly recovered and was rising slowly back to his feet.

“ _ See? You’re as disgustingly deformed as /I/ am because you ARE me! Look at them! Look at their horror at your hideousness! You are NOTHING! /We/ are NOTHING! Only a malformed copy of the ‘real’ Bendy, who /never/ existed! _ ”

Looking like he was in pain and likely struck by the Ink demon’s words, Henry watches with his heart in his throat as Bendy cries out with anger and uses the ink to slam the Ink demon into the wall again. The Ink demon quickly retaliates however, slamming Bendy away as well before sneering

“ _ You’ve lost this round, demon. No one will /ever/ trust you again… enjoy your newfound life of isolation and hatred! Now you’ll have to learn to live as you truly are; just like me! _ ”

Cackling then, the Ink demon backed away before sinking through the wall, the barrier disappearing as the waterfall of ink slowly began to dry up. 

Not hesitating, Henry bolts over the Bendy and quickly kneels by him while reaching for him, his hands however pausing inches away with hesitation; he wasn’t sure how Bendy might react. 

Clearly having noticed as such, Bendy slowly lifts his head to gaze up at Henry from where he lay on the floor; his eyes weren’t visible, but Henry knew they were likely full of hurt.

“H-He’s right… He’s was  _ always _ right, Henry… I-I’m just…  _ this _ . A-A lyin’, no good, evil  _ demon _ \- a  _ fraud! _ ”

Frowning, Henry forgets any worry as he quickly takes hold of him and pulls him into a hug despite the fact he now felt like cold, wet ink. It felt strange to be embracing something not unlike the Ink demon- but he wasn’t afraid. It was Bendy afterall, and no matter what, he loved and cared about him.

“That’s not true… You’re not a liar. Nobody even  _ asked _ where you came from, Bendy… you were rightfully afraid; I understand you didn’t want to disappoint them… you also were scared to face the truth yourself. You’ve been struggling with how you see yourself as being evil and hateful like the Ink demon, and hid it to the point it manifested  _ physically _ now… but this isn’t  _ you. _ It’s only how you see yourself.”

Henry could feel Bendy lift his head over his shoulder, making Henry turn his head to see what he was looking at. The rest of their group had cautiously approached them, but were keeping a fair distance. Frowning, Henry squeezes Bendy tighter, comforting him with his embrace

“You’re not evil, or anything like the Ink demon… you know that. We  _ all _ know that… you’re the lovable, mischievous but caring demon. The only thing that’s different right now is how you look. You just need to recognize and see it for yourself… see yourself for who you  _ really _ are.”

Quietly nearby, Sammy’s voice carried over

“...What the  _ hell _ is going on?! What was the Ink demon talking about when he said ‘real you’?? Who  _ are _ you?!”

Bendy frowns at that, making Henry feel defensive; Bendy quietly responds however

“I… I’m s-still Bendy. I just… never told you guys where I really came from, or how I felt about myself...”

As he looks down in shame, Henry continues to comfort the demon, but it seemed to be rather ineffective.

“I came from the Ink demon. I-I used ta be part a’ him, his good feelin’s an’ memories… then he pushed that all away one day, an’ tried to force it outta himself! As a result… it made me.”

Sammy silently stares at him then, his expression blank and cool as his lack of words. Quietly then, he looks downward while speaking

“...What do we even believe anymore? This whole time… I thought I’d escaped the Ink demon when I broke from my blind worship, but I was still blindly following him this whole time…”

Taken aback by those words, Bendy stares at Sammy before Henry turns now, feeling equally as surprised; after everything that had been said and done, how could he say that?? Edgar scoffs at Sammy then, clearly feeling the same way

“How could you believe such nonsense?! The Ink demon may have changed his form, and perhaps he came out of him, but Bendy is still  _ Bendy! _ I mean- if that’s what we’re going to believe, then why should Boris or Alice be considered ‘real’? They came from the same ink we all did! Nothing’s changed!”

Norman steps forward to Sammy’s defense, his flickering light falling upon the striker

“Oh yeah? Nothing’s changed? How about the fact this runt hid it from us? He was clearly scared a’ admittin’ it to us, meaning he’s been hidin’ it; what else has he been hidin’, huh? I for one think the fact that he’s half a’ the Ink demon  _ means _ somethin’! You can’t just ignore that!”

Allison speaks up then, looking uncertain

“I’ve studied the Ink demon for a long time, and I’ve  _ never _ seen him act kind or empathetic in any way; maybe it would make sense that he’s telling the truth. He’s the  _ good _ half, even if he  _ did _ come from the Ink demon. I think it’s safe to say he’s on our side”

Susie crosses her arms, eyeing Bendy who shrinks a bit behind Henry

“Is he  _ really _ a ‘good’ half though? He said he was part of the Ink demon’s feelings and memories… they can’t  _ all _ be good. How do we know he won’t turn and join the Ink demon?”

Edgar looked surprised at that before glancing to the floor, contemplating her words. After a quiet moment, he takes a step towards her speaking up 

“Pardon my defiance my lady, but he would never! Bendy may be mischievous, but much like Alice Angel said, he would never cause true harm! I have witnessed time and time again as he resisted the Ink demon’s ploy to turn him- he has no power over him!”

Susie looked almost shocked that Edgar had defied her, but Sammy cuts in before she can respond;

“But he  _ does _ . I remember it clearly… back when I first teamed up with him and Henry, Bendy was connecting to the Ink demon in his sleep. He also connected to  _ Henry _ . It caused the Ink demon to find us on several occasions, including Susie, because they’re  _ connected! _ Who knows how far that connection goes?! Maybe Bendy himself isn’t inherently the evil one… but he’s potentially able to be controlled!”

Allison scoffs a bit at that, giving him a look

“So, what, because he might get forced to be puppeted that makes him evil? We just can’t trust him  _ or _ Henry? It’s not like either of them asked for this!”

Sammy pauses then, slowly looking to Henry who silently meets his gaze; Henry felt a sinking feeling that even though Sammy had changed, his visceral fear of the Ink demon hadn’t. The question now was which was stronger...

Standing up then with a grunt, Henry faces everyone as all of their eyes land on him.

“Bendy came from the Ink demon… it’s true. But he didn’t try  _ once _ to mislead or hurt anyone; he even saved our lives several times. Yes, the Ink demon connected to me and him, but it was only through dreams- he didn’t have any  _ real _ power over us. Also, the Ink demon can track any of us regardless of connection as long as he knows we exist. It’s not a sign he can control us.”

Looking down to Bendy who was holding his bleeding shoulder, Henry frowns kneeling by him again

“I created Bendy… and I know it’s  _ really  _ him. In fact… the Ink demon was  _ always _ him… wasn’t he, Tom?”

Henry looks to a surprised Tom as everyone else does too, a confused Allison turning to him

“...What is he talking about, Tom?”

Sighing through his nose, Tom walks over to Bendy before kneeling in front of him too. Sniffing, Bendy shrinks away a bit, but Tom gently places a hand on his uninjured shoulder looking him in the eye. Staring silently, Henry wonders what might be going on when suddenly Bendy’s wound closes, healing over on its own. Relieved, Henry sighs softly before giving Bendy a brief hug.

“How did you do that?...”

“Tom told me how to…”

Giving his own look of confusion, Henry glances at Tom who shrugs. Sighing, Henry shakes his head

“Alright, I don’t know how you spoke to him, but I do know one thing. You were the inventor for all of Joey’s weird ‘magic’ machinery… and you witnessed the creation of the Ink demon. I’m assuming you know things about him you haven’t told anyone before… and also,”

Looking to Bendy, Henry gently wipes some ink from his face revealing a sad pie-cut eye

“...You have to explain to them how the Ink demon really  _ is _ Bendy.”

Tom grunts then, crossing his arms giving Henry a questioning look; how on Earth was he supposed to speak, afterall? Norman sighs, clanking over to Tom before turning to him

“Alright, if we’re gonna get anywhere, yer gonna have to borrow this…”

Taking hold of the wire connected to his speaker, Norman pulls on it making Sammy gasp

“Norman,  _ what’re you doing?! _ Don’t-”

With a rather unnerving squelch, Norman pulled the wire out of the back of his projector head making Barley sigh; he’d have to fix that later. Tom gives a disgusted look before Norman takes hold of him, holding up the wire. Tom’s face slowly dawns with horrified realization as he starts trying to push the projectionist away, but Norman’s grip was firm. Allison sputters a bit then, holding out her hands

“What’s he doing?! What’s happening right now??”

With another terrible squelch, an angry shout comes from Norman’s speaker then that was  _ not _ the sassy southern voice it usually produced. Instead, a slightly static-y and very growly deep voice Henry recognized from Tom’s recordings was coming from his speaker…

“The HELL did ya do that for- ah. I see.”

Allison was staring at him now, reaching out a hand cautiously

“Tom?...”

Looking to her frowning a little, Norman’s speaker continues speaking for him

“Yeah… i’m alright. Just… this is disgusting. I’m literally  _ wired _ to Norman right now.”

Shrugging, Norman puts his hands on his hips while both Susie and Sammy make faces, Susie turning away

“Ugh, I think i’m going to be  _ sick _ …”

Sammy huffs shaking his head

“You think  _ you’re _ feeling ill?? My  _ boyfriend _ just attached himself to someone else…”

Rolling his eyes, Tom turns to Henry then (with Norman following his movements so as not to dislodge the wire);

“Alright. You want answers? You’ll get ‘em. If he’s even real, God knows what horrors I’ve seen and committed...”

Allison moves next to Tom who frowns again, gently placing a hand on her shoulder before looking back to Henry

“Yes… I ‘studied’ the Ink demon, if you can call it that. Really, I kind of… babysat him. In a way.”

Looking to Bendy now, the shaken demon slowly looks back to him, frowning

“Since the Ink demon was first formed, things were a mess; the other gent employees involved thought he was just pure evil. An abomination that had to be put down. Naturally, I wasn’t having any of that nonsense.”

Moving over to Bendy’s side dragging Norman with him, Tom kneels by Bendy who looks at him curiously now, trying to keep the dripping ink out of his eyes

“...He was just a being. He didn’t understand what the hell was happening, no less why he was made. He wasn’t inherently evil, he was just… scared. And can ya blame him? Doesn’t exist one second, the next people are yellin’ and screamin’ to kill ‘im.”

Sighing, he gently places a hand on Bendy’s shoulder making the demon tilt his head

“What Henry said is true. The Ink demon… he really  _ is _ just Bendy. Maybe he didn’t exactly form right, but he was the only copy… ‘cause he wasn’t just some copy. He was the first thing that machine ever ‘made’, ‘cept I don’t think it  _ made _ him. It more of… pulled him out from somewhere else before spitting him out where he didn’t belong, and messed up along the way. It’s… complicated.”

Henry frowns, leaning forward towards him

“I want you to explain everything. We have to know… it could help us. It could help him- both of them.”

Slowly looking to Henry then back to Bendy, Tom nods

“Yeah… I’ll explain. But first, maybe we should clean up this mess a bit… and help our demon friend here. I think I know how to fix him.”


	34. A World of Pure Imagination?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a flashback of Tom's memories, Tom recounts how the Ink demon first came about and his relationship with him. Despite trying his best to guide the demon to be good, Joey Drew seems to always find a way to poison everything he touches...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: strangling, violence
> 
> Notes: Only one drawing this time for chapter 34 because these chapters are getting longer than usual this time and it would take too long to draw more! I'm excited to be getting deeper into some fun stuff though, chapter are only going to keep getting longer for a bit too... (with some intermissions of course!) Happy Monday!

* * *

Holding his arms out defensively, Tom stood blocking the frightened creature from the other Gent employees. They had drawn various tools, all aimed at the poor thing the machine had just spat out.

“Tom, get out of the way! We need to get  _ rid _ of it!”

Snorting, Tom glares at them

“The Hell is wrong with all of you?! Just because he doesn’t look right doesn’t mean he’s  _ evil _ . He was just born! He doesn’t even know what the  _ Hell _ is going on! Do you think he even asked to be made like this?! Back off!”

Slowly, the other Gent employees lowered their tools before backing away, but Tom could tell they still didn’t like or trust the creature cowering behind him.

“Fine. If you like it so much, then  _ you _ can deal with it; we’re not going anywhere  _ near _ that thing.”

Huffing, Tom kept himself blocking them from the creature as they began leaving

“Fine by me. At least I have some god damn decency left in me…”

Hearing some other distant snide comments, Tom ignores them before slowly turning to face the source of all the commotion. He wasn’t sure what to call it… no, call  _ him _ . Whatever the creature was, he certainly wasn’t what they had intended; he looked like a nightmare version of Bendy that attempted to look human.

Sighing, Tom meets the gaze of the still shaking creature before slowly offering his hand

“Hey… I ain’t gonna hurt you. Those guys are jerks, and I guess I could be called one too, but… well, I guess i’m a bit less of a jerk. You alright?...”

Staring at his outstretched hand, the strange being slowly looked up at him before looking to his hand again. Then, very hesitantly, he reached his own dark inky hand over and gently holds Toms’; it felt… strange. It was cold and wet, and didn’t quite feel solid... but it wasn’t liquid either.

“See, now? Ain’t gonna hurt you…”

With a sniff, the creature suddenly threw himself forward to cling to Tom in a hug, causing the gruff engineer to tense up at first before sighing and patting the weird, spiny back of the creature.

“Alright, alright… you’re okay now. I know this is probably scary for you… can’t imagine it, really.”

Standing there quietly, Tom thinks of how human this creature still seemed despite looking… like this. Comforting him in silence for a moment, Tom slowly muses out loud

“So… what do I call you, then? You were supposed to look like Bendy, but… I don’t know if you fit. But, I guess a name is just a name… whaddya say, huh?”

Slowly, the creature lets go of him while tilting its head curiously. Blinking, Tom slowly ponders the silence before realizing...

“Ah. You’re mute, huh? Guess that makes some sense… Well, you can nod your head right?”

Hesitating a bit, the creature gives a small nod of acknowledgement. Grunting at that, Tom rubs his chin with his right hand; he only had the one hand, afterall, with his left arm being amputated slightly above the elbow. Being an engineer had its dangers.

“Alright… so, a name then. Is it alright if I call you Bendy?”

Eagerly then, the creature nodded its head smiling at him; he had been frowning quite a bit before, but now bared a toothy grin that made him resemble the dancing demon a little more.

“Right; Bendy it is then. How about you come with me to my office?...”

Nodding again, the creature follows him seeming rather chipper all of a sudden; he was unworldly and strange, and definitely didn’t belong to this world… but, he was here now. And, Tom figures, he may as well have a somewhat okay experience while he was.

-

Sighing, Tom runs his hand through his hair in frustration while leaning on his elbow, glaring down over blueprints for the second ink machine. After several many terribly failed attempts at making Bendy characters, he’d suggested the machine wasn’t strong enough nor had enough power. Now, he had to design a monstrosity of an engineering  _ nightmare _ that was a giant ink machine to appease Joey. Muttering over the ridiculous complexity of just the first part of said machine, Tom blinks as he feels a gentle weight press to his left shoulder.

Glancing over, he sees Bendy was leaning on it and smiling curiously looking down at the blueprint likely wondering what he was up to. Sighing a bit, Tom smiles a little before reaching his hand over to gently ruffle the demon’s head making him smile wider

“Hey there, buddy… just workin’ on some things for Joey. I’m making a bigger, and ‘better’ ink machine... if you can believe it. Like the one you came from.”

Tilting his head, Bendy quietly seemed to ponder that before looking to Tom who snorts and speaks again

“Ridiculous, right?... you wouldn’t happen to have any ideas, would you?”

Silent as always, the demon said nothing until he suddenly and happily took Tom’s white pencil, starting to scribble on the blueprint. Naturally, Tom thinks how he’d have to redraft it later but it wasn’t a good draft anyways so he might as well let the guy have fun. Slowly though, Bendy had actually drawn out an interesting shape for the machine… it looked almost like the inside of a house.

Rubbing his chin again, Tom realizes it could actually work… the halls, rooms, and structure could fit pipes efficiently if arranged a bit. He could also see the halls being lined with the printing devices…

“Hey… that’s not half bad, buddy. Maybe someday you could be an engineer yourself…”

Beaming with pride, the demon surprises Tom by letting out a strange and unnatural almost purring noise that he couldn’t quite equate to any existing creature. Either way, Tom smiles back at him before ruffling the demon’s head once more

“Heh… yeah, maybe I can teach ya even…”

-

Grunting with strained effort, Tom was struggling to turn a massive wrench on one of many leaking pipes. All over, Gent employees were shouting and scrambling to contain breaches; the entire section of piping had come under too much pressure earlier, and now that even more ink was flowing through, leaks were springing everywhere in the weakened structure. Currently, they were at risk for a total blow out that would flood the entire studio- and no doubt everyone’s jobs with it.

Stopping to wipe his brow and smearing some of the cursed ink on himself even more, Tom starts trying to pull the pipe he was working on shut with the wrench again. However, the pipe rattles before the bolt suddenly rockets off entirely with the wrench, narrowly missing Tom. Immediately a jet of ink started spraying him right in the face, making him shout. His problem was hardly the only one however as all around he could hear more rattling and pipe bursts all over causing many of the other employees to panic.

“THE WHOLE THING’S GONNA BLOW!”

Ink flooding everywhere, all the pipes were groaning like a dying abomination struggling to escape hell through the metal itself. Bracing for the worst, Tom shuts his eyes tightly before hearing a lot more shouting; he figured they’d finally lost the system, but… nothing was happening.

Then, Tom slowly realizes that the ink was  _ receding _ . Opening his eyes now, he looks up finding Bendy had come running over and was… redirecting the ink?? He had his arms out, and looked focused as the ink was making its way back into the pipes. Reentering the pipes, the ink somehow mended and resealed them in the process.

“What in the Hell?...”

Within minutes, the crisis had been resolved, and Bendy turned to Tom looking rather nervous; he wasn’t meant to leave his office, after all. Instead of any frustration with Bendy breaking the rule however, Tom was delighted and rather euphoric over the ordeal

“How did you do that?! You resealed and  _ fixed _ all of the pipes… you were  _ controlling _ the ink! That’s incredible! C’mere, you rascal!”

Tom happily grabs Bendy over to himself and ruffles him on the head, laughing a bit as the demon happily beams at him. 

“Look at you, being helpful… how could anyone not want ya around now??”

Other Gent employees were approaching now, looking rather curious and grateful instead of afraid for once

“Did you teach him that??”

“Nope. Little fella did it all on his own, didn’t ya Bendy?”

Nodding, Bendy slowly looks to the others who were smiling at him now

“Well i’ll be damned… guess he’s good for something after all! Consider yourself part of the team now!”

Beaming with pride, Bendy looked as delighted as Tom felt; it was a good thing he deserved.




Kneeling on the floor in ink pooling from Bendy, Tom was holding him firmly trying to comfort the panicked demon; he’d been injured for the first time in his life, and badly so. Whining and making inhuman sounds of pain that made Tom’s heart ache, the engineer squeezed Bendy’s hand 

“I know, I know; it hurts. You’re going to be alright, okay? It was an accident, i’m sorry buddy…”

Looking to his torn shoulder, the demon whines loudly grasping at the ‘bleeding’ wound- if it could be called that since it was ink. They had been working on parts for the new ink machine, and a metal support had broken and slashed the poor demon.

“I know it hurts, but you have to apply pressure if you’re gonna make it stop. Can you do that for me?...”

Whining a bit, Bendy stares at him before he slowly pushes into the wound with a growl of pain, shaking; Tom held him steady, trying to comfort him best he could. Tom wasn’t very talented in being a comforting figure however, as he was usually stern and gruff. Right now, however, his friend was in need so he was trying his best.

“Alright, alright… listen to me closely, okay?”

Bendy looked to him sniffling but nods

“Okay. Remember how you fixed all those things before using the ink? I want you to see if you can try fixing yourself like that… do you think you can do that for me?”

Glancing at his shoulder, Bendy looks to Tom again shaking his head

“C’mon, I know you can do it. It might not feel good, but it’ll help; I promise. Just keep pressure on it while you close the wound, okay? Focus.”

Slowly, Bendy started focusing before crying out in pain as the wound begun to close up; he stops however when it hurt too much. Grimacing, Tom holds him firmly

“I know, I’m sorry bud; you gotta keep going though, you’re doing great. C’mon, once it’s all healed it won’t hurt anymore, promise.”

Whimpering quietly, Bendy shakes his head making Tom sigh; offering his hand to the demon, he looks him in the eye

“Take my hand and squeeze it. You can do this, alright?”

Staring for a moment, Bendy slowly grasps his hand before clenching his teeth and forcing the wound to close more. What felt like agonizing ages ended in an instant as the poor demon collapses against Tom finally, shaking.

“You’re alright, you’re alright buddy… it’s over now. You’re okay…”

Gently snuggling into Tom, the engineer sighed heavily before hugging him back just as gently and frowning. He’d been so scared over Bendy getting hurt, but thankfully they’d fixed the problem like most things Tom repaired. Emotionally, however, he couldn’t imagine the trauma of such a bad injury for being hurt for the first time.

“Hey… what do ya say to some bacon soup, huh? It’s your favorite…”

Looking up then, Bendy smiles a bit nodding; that was a good sign. Tom just hoped it would help him through it.

-

Naturally, the time had come where Tom couldn’t hide Bendy from Joey any longer; he’d found out the hard way, coming face to face with his ‘creation’. His reaction was… less than glamorous. As a result, he’d chewed Tom out over it and told him to meet at his office; currently, he was being yelled at more for it.

“...I get it was a first attempt, but you can’t just let that  _ thing _ walk around! What if the press caught sight of it?! He’ll scare off investors and smear the good name of this company! Connor, I want that thing  _ gone _ , you understand? Locked up, gotten rid of, or just outright  _ destroyed _ if you have to! I don’t want that demonic abomination anywhere in my sight again; you hear me?”

Grimacing, Tom, clenches his hand into a fist trying hard not to outright hurt Joey; at this point in time, he’d become highly attached to Bendy, and the insults were making him angry.

“Sir, if I might just say a few things…”

Pausing, Joey slowly leaned back from his desk that he’d had his hands on, standing now with his arms crossed

“I value the opinion of my employees and what they have to say, so… go ahead. But make it brief; I’m a busy man, and the sooner that thing is gone the better!”

Sneering, Tom thinks how he most  _ definitely _ did not value anyone else’s opinion. Sighing, he lets it go for now

“Bendy isn’t a  _ thing _ . He’s a living, sentient creature who has feelings. And, he’s been living with me and the other boys at Gent for a while; he’s even fixed a whole number of your crummy pipes that would’ve destroyed your company otherwise. Without him, you wouldn’t have the studio still.”

Joey looked less than amused giving him a cold look as he folds his hands together, staring into Tom’s eyes with his own rather unnerving and unnaturally blue ones. They may as well have been made of icy of hatred.

“Tom, old friend, are you saying you’ve become  _ attached _ to that creature?...”

Grimacing a bit, Tom clenches his hand into a fist again

“I… yes, sir. I have.”

Tsking, Joey, shakes his head before turning his back on Tom, folding his arms against it

“Tom, I didn’t hire you to make friends with abominations your machine spits out... Might I remind you I wanted living  _ attractions? _ There is nothing  _ attractive  _ about that foul beast.”

Turning around again, Joey slams his hands to his desk glaring Tom in the eye who glares back

“If you want to keep your job, you’ll do as I say and get  _ rid. Of. it.  _ Do I make myself clear?...”

Silently and furiously glaring back into Joey’s eyes, Tom slowly managed to speak through clenched teeth feeling like one of the pipes, ready to burst himself

“Yes. Sir.”

Smirking irritatingly, Joey leaned back fixing his bowtie

“Then you know what to do… If I catch sight of that creature again, there  _ will _ be consequences.”

Using every last bit of his willpower not to grab and assault the man before him, Tom takes a deep breath before turning to leave. His anger immediately drained away however when he caught the briefest glimpse of black moving away from the door he’d recognize anywhere. Frowning, Tom leaves the office quickly following the escapee

“Bendy, I know that was you! I saw you already; come back!”

Turning the corner then, Tom comes face to face with the guilty looking demon who wasn’t looking at him, hands nervously clutched together. Sighing, Tom gently places a hand on his shoulder

“You overheard, didn’t ya?... What Joey wants me to do?...”

Still not looking up, the demon nodded his head solemnly. 

Shaking his head, Tom starts to guide Bendy back towards his own office

“I ain’t gonna do that to ya, okay?... Joey can get mad as he likes, but I’m not just sealing you away like that. He can bite my ass. If he fires me, his machine is done for anyways.”

Looking to Tom slowly, Bendy was frowning; Tom couldn’t tell what he wanted to say, but he seemed uneasy still. Reaching his office, the engineer picked up a pencil before offering it to his demon friend

“Here… what’s on your mind? Write it out for me…”

Looking down at Tom’s desk, Bendy leans over slowly scrawling in shaky handwriting; Tom had been teaching him how to write, and it was still a work in progress. After a moment, he leaned back frowning and staring at the page. Looking at it, Tom frowns himself upon reading it:

‘I’m a mistake.’

“Aw, Bendy… You’re not what Joey said; he’s just a heartless jerk! Don’t listen to him, okay?... Look. I’ll admit you weren’t what we were intending to make, but you’re not a mistake! I love havin’ you around, and you’re great, alright? I like you the way you are just fine.”

Slowly, Bendy looked up to Tom before making a whimpering noise and hugging him tightly; gently hugging back, Tom smiles a little patting the Demon’s back with his hand

“It’s alright, okay?... Nobody is gonna hurt ya. They’d have to go through  _ me _ first, and i’ll be damned if I’m gonna let Drew do anything to you. I’ll never turn on ya… promise.”

Sniffing a little, Bendy nods as he hugged him tighter.

-

“Bendy?! Bendy, where the Hell did you run off to now! Bendy??”

Looking around the darkened hallways, it was currently after-hours in the studio and most everyone had left. Tom was hunting for his missing demon friend who had disappeared from his office and the Gent areas where he usually lurked. Feeling worried, he was making his way up level by level trying to find him anywhere. He was coming up on the first floor now leading to the exit, which was making him worry even more; did he escape? Had he been so afraid of Joey he ran away? Where would he go, what would the public do if they saw him??

Reaching the top of the stairs a bit out of breath, Tom called out again

“BENDY! Where are you?! C’mon buddy, this ain’t funny!”

Walking around the uppermost studio areas, Tom paused in the hall leading to the show room they’d showcase and test animations for visitors… he could hear a projector running. Heading that way now, he slowly approached the entrance... that’s when he notices the sound of running ink, likely flooding the room.

Turning the corner, Tom came to a halt as he found Bendy was standing in front of the projector screen with one of many Bendy cartoons playing on it. The floor indeed had flooded with ink from a leak that one of the pipes sprung, but he seemed unbothered by it. Instead, the demon was silent and solid as a statue before the screen, watching.

Frowning, Tom cautiously reaches an arm into the room unsure if he should wade into the ink or not

“Bendy?... what’re you doing up here? You know you’re not supposed to wander away, it could get you hurt!”

Still silent, Bendy lowered his head before looking up again at the screen, reaching out his inky right hand to gently caress the it as it was showing cartoon Bendy. As if on cue, the projector reel jammed and kept a still frame of the cartoon demon before his twisted counterpart, who was standing there and staring back into his eyes. Moving both hands, he holds them before himself silently as they start to shake. Quietly, Tom questions;

“Bendy?...you alright?”

Shaking all over now, the demon’s grin twisted into a pained grimace before he wrapped his arms around himself, starting to curl into a ball towards the ink. Frowning, Tom took a step forward splashing into the ink

“BENDY!”

He pauses to watch however as his demon friend starts to change; It was as if he was melting and reforming. Slowly, Bendy’s form shrank and reshaped into a new one... that perfectly resembled the demon on the screen. Turning then, the little demon smiled up at Tom who could only stare in shock

“...Well I’ll be damned… look atcha now…”

“WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE?! TOM, THE ROOM IS  _ FLOODING! _ DO YOUR DAMN JOB THIS INSTANT-”

Having flinched from none other than Joey Drew’s voice behind him, Tom turns to see the now stunned looking studio owner staring at the smiling Bendy who had his head tilted at him. Looking between the two, Tom grunts and goes to try and stop the pipe flooding grumpily, but kept his eye on Bendy. Joey, to Tom’s shocked surprise yet again, stepped right into the flood of ink with no regard for his expensive shoes and clothing. Wading over to the little demon, he held his hands out in awe that was clearly reflected on his face

“Bendy… It’s… it’s Bendy!  _ Look _ at you! You’re… you’re… perfect!”

With a small laugh of disbelief, Joey crouches and holds his hands before the now beaming Bendy 

“Tom, were you hiding him from me?!”

Sneering at Joey’s shallow enthusiasm over his companion, Tom struggled to try and hold the leak closed to no avail

“Actually, Joey, I didn’t know about this until now; he’s really-”

Blinking, Tom turns as he notices the little demon looked like he was in pain. Frowning, Joey gently held his shoulders

“What?? Is something wrong? Why’re you looking at me like that??”

Bendy squeezed his eyes shut as his face twists in agony, shakily clutching his head; then, he let out a cry of pain that made Joey stumble to his feet, staring down at him

“Tom, what the  _ Hell _ is going on?! What’s happening to him?!”

Letting go of the pipe, Tom ran over trying to help Bendy now

“Stop! You can’t hold this form, it’s only hurting you; just let it go!”

Suddenly, Bendy  _ responded _ in his perfect cartoon voice;

“ _ NO! _ I-If I do, i’ll just be a MONSTER! I-I want to be perfect! I want to be  _ Bendy! _ ”

“Bendy, you already  _ are! _ You don’t have to force yourself to be something you’re  _ not! _ Just stop this already, please!”

Joey took a step forward then, glaring at Tom speaking demandingly

“Tom, explain yourself  _ right _ now! What the Hell are you talking about?! What  _ is _ this?!”

Before anything else can be said however, Bendy lost control of his form and melted again; within seconds, his limbs shot back out to their longer normal length as his shape returned to his twisted body. Breathing heavily, Bendy slowly and nervously looked to an infuriated Joey.

“Thomas Connor… You have  _ ten seconds _ to explain to me why I shouldn’t _ fire you. RIGHT. NOW. _ ”

“Because without me, yer blasted machine’ll never be finished.”

Narrowing his eyes, Joey got into Tom’s face pointing a finger roughly at his chest

“Are you  _ threatening me?! _ You’re by  _ far _ not the  _ only _ engineer I can hire for this project,  _ Connor! _ I’ll make you  _ regret _ this in every conceivable way; I told you to get rid of that- that- disgusting nightmare!! And you directly disobeyed me!”

Sneering, Tom was only half listening to the director’s fury when he hears a growl come from behind him; in an instant, Joey’s rant cut short as he looked behind Tom with a rather fearful expression. Raising an eyebrow, Tom turned to see Bendy in an aggressive stance as if he were about to attack; in fact, Tom wouldn’t doubt that he may very well just do that.

“T-Tom… you call off that creature this  _ instant _ , or-”

Before he can finish the sentence, a wave of ink suddenly lifted and slammed Joey into the wall; Shocked, Tom turned to Bendy who had a hand raised, bared teeth twitching violently with fury. Feeling a little nervous himself, Tom reached out his hands slowly towards Bendy

“Bendy… take it easy now, okay? He’s not nice, but you shouldn’t hurt him. I’m fine; it’s alright… you can drop him.”

Silently gazing at Tom before looking back to Joey briefly, Bendy straightened his posture and dropped his arm letting Joey fall to the ink with a splash and loud yell. Rubbing his chin, Tom figured that though the situation was a bit grim, it also had opportunity… 

“Mr.Drew, I’d like to make a proposal… Bendy stays with me, and you don’t threaten me  _ or _ him anymore... an’ i’ll make sure nothing bad happens.”

Joey stared at him in disbelief, scoffing

“Are you trying to blackmail me into a  _ deal?! _ ”

Bendy growled at Joey in response who flinched before Tom holds his arm out to keep Bendy put

“Not trying to, but you’re just really good at angering him. What’s it gonna be then, Drew? You gonna leave us alone, or are ya gonna fight with a demon?”

Still sneering, Joey’s expression slowly changed to an amused smirk

“Well well, you may just make it in this world yet Thomas Connor… Though I don’t appreciate the forced position, I’ll admit you’ve got tactic at least! Well played…” 

Confused, Tom felt the sudden change in attitude was incredibly creepy, but honestly not surprising for Joey. Waving a hand and getting up, Joey gave him an irritated look again

“Fine. You can keep it-”

Bendy growled again, Making Joey grimace a bit

“-Alright alright, him! You can keep  _ him- _ IF, he stays out of sight from everyone else and doesn’t become any more unstable than he is! But I will say this,  _ Tom _ . Any misfortune that befalls this company because of this is on  _ you _ now. Not me-  _ you! _ ”

Putting his hand on his hip, Tom scoffs a bit thinking how Joey always loved shirking the blame. He was the one who started the whole thing, but at least this way he could protect Bendy.

“Yeah, sure; whatever. Nothing’s gonna happen, but I’m glad we’ve at least reached an ‘agreement’... Now. Bendy, can ya help fix the pipe over there?”

However, Bendy was busy looking atthe projector screen that still had the frozen frame of the cartoon Bendy. Briefly using ink to extend his right hand into long bladed claws, he slashed the projector promptly to pieces shutting it off permanently. Joey sputtered then, staring;

“HEY! Th-that’s company equipment!! That stuff isn’t cheap, you know!”

Ignoring Joey, Bendy’s hand dripped back to normal before he held it up; within moments, the flood of ink sank back into the pipe before resealing. Looking to Tom then, he frowned, but Tom nodded to him and gently ruffled his head

“It’s alright buddy… things are gonna be okay now.”

Joey crossed his arms, shaking one ink soaked leg off

“Hardly… I’d say the problems have only  _ just _ begun…”

-

“Don’t think we haven’t caught wind of what you’re hiding, Drew! Some of the fellas I have working for me have been looking into your…  _ ‘project’ _ at Gent. The things you’ve been dabbling in? This ‘machine’? It’s pure ludicrous evil! And once we make this public, not only will you lose all investments, this place will be rightfully  _ shut down. _ ”

Grunting, Tom turned to Joey who looked perfectly calm but he knew the studio director well enough to know he was livid. Folding his hands together, Joey’s unnatural gaze bore into the Gent project leader; he had come barging into the office despite Tom’s best efforts, and now was threatening them. Slowly, Joey sat up straight before speaking

“You  _ clearly _ not only have completely misunderstood my projects, but you’re starting something you will not  _ win _ . If you think you can threaten my studio, you’re  _ gravely _ mistaken.”

Snorting, the project leader slammed his hands to Joey’s desk making Tom raise an eyebrow

“You think you’re invulnerable, but when the press catches sight of what we’ve found out, you’re going to be shut down so fast this place will be going under within a day!”

Smirking, Joey leans back in his chair crossing one leg while steepling his fingers

“Really?... and pray tell, what do you  _ possibly _ have that could suffice as evidence besides some vague suspicions?”

Pulling an envelope from his jacket, the project leader removed a single photo from it; brandishing the photo, Tom and Joey’s faces fall. 

“That’s right… we have  _ photos _ of your little  _ pet. _ Not only that, but tape recordings, blueprints, and more all collected! When these get out, you’re  _ done for! _ ”

Standing up briskly then, Joey glared down the project leader

“Do you have any idea what you’ll be getting in the way of?! Not only that, but this isn’t necessarily knowledge the general public can  _ handle! _ You’ll induce mass panic and put these things in the wrong hands!”

Sneering, the Project leader stuffed the envelope back into his suit jacket

“Wrong hands? They already are as is! Besides, I couldn’t care less what happens to your little  _ pet project _ ; all that matters is it gets shut down!”

Tom felt inclined to agree, but Bendy…. Looking to Joey, he could see Joey had a bit of fear under his anger. Huffing then, Joey slowly smirked standing taller

“Well then, you’ve made a grave mistake… all of it’s contained in that envelope, you say? Well… we’ll just have to take it then, won’t we?”

Staring, the project leader looked to Tom who stared him down sternly

“Tom? Y-You’re on my side here, right?! You’ve always spited Drew and what he was doing!”

Sighing, Tom looked down; revealing their project would put Bendy in direct harm, and cost him his job and likely land him in jail. Being in jail meant he couldn’t support his family, and a certain someone he was hoping to court. Was it morally wrong to be thinking like this?... The studio  _ was _ a nightmare, but...

“Maybe… but things have changed. I can’t let you do this… not like this.”

Fearfully looking between the two then, the project leader didn’t hesitate another second as he bolted from the office, tearing down the halls. Surprisingly just as fast, Joey bolted after him shouting;

“STOP THAT MAN!! STOP HIM AT ALL COSTS!”

Tom tried to catch up, but the project leader had gotten a decent head start; it would be incredibly lucky if they caught him at this rate. Pulling a wrench from his belt, Tom threw it at the project leader but he ducked letting it fly past him instead. Cursing, Tom heard a metallic clunk that made him grimace; it had hit one of the pipes.

Skidding to a halt, Joey stopped making Tom stop next to him as the project leader skidded into the ink, slipping around the corner before loudly hitting the floor. Looking to Tom, Joey gave him an exasperated look

“Well, what’re you waiting for?! Let’s get him!”

Carefully moving through the ink, Joey went ahead making Tom snort

“I only stopped ‘cause you did.”

Slowly, both of them turned the corner to find the project leader scrambling to try and get off the ink flooding floor, slipping in the process due to his frantic fear

“If you kill me, they’ll notice I’m missing!! The others still know your secrets! They know where I went!”

Joey sneered, smirking rather deviously

“We’ll just have to find them all then, won’t we?... I’m sure you have a convenient list somewhere…”

Managing to get up finally, the project leader went flying around the next corner for the exit making Tom and Joey chase him- only for both to come to another slippery, halt trailing ink over the floor. Legs kicking in the air struggling, the project leader was suspended in a single-handed grasp from none other than Bendy. Frowning, he looked to Tom who frowned back; Joey, however, looked no less than delighted as he approached the two.

“Well, well… seems that our ‘pet’ has caught you for me! Mind telling him exactly why it is we were chasing you?...”

Holding onto his jacket and the envelope tightly, the terrified project leader glanced briefly at the twitching frown of Bendy before looking wildly back to Joey

“L-Let me go! You’ll NEVER get away with this!”

Looking to Bendy again, he pleaded;

“Please, let me go! I-I don’t want to die! You don’t have to be evil, don’t listen to them!”

Staring, Bendy slowly looked to Tom who couldn’t bring himself to meet his gaze; Joey puts his hands on his hips, his voice becoming smug

“Unfortunately, he would never fall for that… he just loves his family  _ far _ too much. Now then, Bendy…”

Head snapping to attention staring at Joey, he looked almost nervous

“...You want to be good, don’t you? You want to protect Tom and your home? If you want these things, then you’re going to have to be good… and  _ kill this man. _ ”

Taking a step forward, Tom quickly cut in

“Bendy, don’t! This isn’t right!”

Joey turned to Tom then, sneering

“We can’t just let him go! They’ll expose everything and not only get this place shut down, but they’ll  _ kill _ your precious demon!”

Turning to a frightened Bendy then who was still holding the crying and struggling man, Joey held his hands out

“Don’t you want to live?! Don’t you want to keep your home?! If you kill that man, then we’ll be safe! DO IT!”

“Bendy, DON’T!”

“OH GOD, PLEASE DON’T HURT ME!”

Stamping his foot, Joey nearly got in Bendy’s face making him flinch away

“KILL THAT MAN IF YOU WANT TO STAY WITH TOM!”

Suddenly, ink wrapped around the man’s neck from Bendy’s hand, strangling the choking man before he fell silent. Immediately, Bendy dropped him to the floor looking rather shocked himself over it. Frozen in horror, Tom stared at the sight before him for a moment processing what had happened.

Quickly, he dropped to the man placing a hand on his neck in silence before letting out a sigh of relief.

“He’s alive. Just unconscious.”

The growing puddle of ink from the broken pipe in the office halls was reaching them now, starting to soak the unconscious man more than it already had. Slowly, Joey straightened himself giving a blank apathetic look down to the project leader with a small tsk

“He should have thought twice before bringing threats to my face… ah, well; I suppose this is at least a  _ usable _ situation.”

Looking to Bendy briefly, Tom glanced back only to see the pure evil dawning over Joey’s face as he gently reached a hand out touching Bendy’s shoulder

“...you did excellent. If you keep up good work like that for me, you may just make me proud yet…”

Staring at Joey, Bendy didn’t respond making the studio director sigh and pat his shoulder gently

“Look… this definitely isn’t  _ ideal _ , but it’s not that bad; the man was our enemy, and he was going to hurt us! What you did was good! Besides, he’s not  _ dead _ . Just unconscious!”

Growling, Tom walked forward shoving Joey aside, glaring at him

“This, in NO WAY, is GOOD! You just forced him to nearly commit MURDER!”

Chuckling, Joey turned to the conflicted demon who was staring between the two of them

“Forced? Why, I didn’t force  _ anything! _ He did that on his own! Did I  _ tell _ him to choke the man? Did I  _ tell _ him to catch him in the first place?”

Glaring still, Tom slowly straightened out; he was angry, but a sinking tightness in his chest was forming as he realized Joey wasn’t fully wrong.

“You exaggerated the situation…”

Joey huffs, giving him a look now

“Exaggerated?! That man was most  _ certainly  _ our enemy! And if you think you could keep Bendy here if the public found out, then you’re  _ deluded _ . Nobody can ever know… and that’s just the way it is!”

Looking to Bendy then, Joey smiled coldly making the demon shrink a little

“Besides, how great does it feel to just be  _ rid _ of your enemies so easily, Bendy? He can’t get you now! He can’t hurt or threaten Tom either…”

Snorting, Tom turned to Bendy

“Don’t listen to him. Hurting and killing people is  _ wrong _ and  _ not  _ the answer for this! It’s messed up, at best.”

Looking taken aback, Bendy took a step away from Tom in shame; frowning, Tom reached out his hand a little, but Joey quickly intervened

“So, you think Bendy is  _ messed up? _ That he’s  _ sickening _ because he took direct action?”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it! You’re twisting my words!”

Waving a hand and approaching the now whimpering Bendy, Joey looked into where his eyes would have been

“You see, Bendy?... You do the right thing, and then they turn on you! They doubt you and what you choose, but you’re the one who’s RIGHT! You did what you had to…”

Tom grimaced, taking a step towards Bendy but the demon took another step back whimpering at him

“Bendy, I didn’t mean… I’m not mad at you. It’s just- what he’s teaching you is  _ wrong _ and  _ dangerous _ . If you hurt everyone who wrong you, it can escalate- and you might reach a point of no return!”

Joey tsk’d again, waving a finger at Tom

“But he already has! Will you shame him for it now? How can you teach this poor creature  _ not _ to defend himself from the cruel world that would rather see him  _ dead _ ?”

Gritting his teeth, Tom was finding it difficult to think of what to say next; he’d have to teach Bendy what he’d done was horribly wrong, but he’d never chastised his demon friend before. How would he handle it? Not to mention, Joey was right about one thing… the demon had every right to defend himself- but Tom did want it to be like this. There had to be another way…

Joey huffed a small laugh, taking advantage of the engineer’s silence;

“See? You’re angry with him, and think he’s been terrible… I, on the other hand, think this is a  _ wonderful _ opportunity…”

Glancing to Joey, Bendy glanced back to Tom who was pained with confliction

“Bendy, please… it’s true; this is bad and wrong, but it doesn’t mean you can’t trust me! Sometimes people make mistakes, and…”

Tom trailed off staring at the unconscious man feeling even more conflicted. Attacking people was bad, and murder was  _ really  _ bad- he wasn’t sure he could just look past it and pretend things were okay. And Bendy, being a rather intelligent and aware being, could tell.

Looking away from Tom, Bendy silently stayed by Joey who chuckled and gently caressed the demon’s face, speaking with a shockingly soft and calming tone

“Come now, no need for sadness, hm? You were great… Why don’t you come with me? I have more work for you to do that can help the studio…”

Reluctant, Bendy slowly looked to Tom one more time, but Tom couldn’t meet his gaze. He felt ashamed he’d let Bendy down, and that this had happened. Deep down, Tom also felt ashamed of something else… he was slightly afraid of his own friend. 

Whimpering a little, Bendy turned away from Tom completely shoving his face into Joey’s shoulder. Surprised, Joey blinked before gently patting the demon’s back

“Now now, it’ll be just fine… you’re safe now, and so is dear old Tom! As for this mess… I have an  _ idea… _ ”

Looking to Joey now, Tom stared down the devilish smiling face of Joey Drew

“What kind of hellish idea do you have now? The man’s unconscious, and still has our dirt! Not only that, but his network of friends’ll notice!”

Chuckling, Joey gently stroked the back of Bendy’s head who made a sad quiet sound

“Well, his ‘friends’ will need to be found and ‘taken care of’; in the meantime, however…”

Joey gently moved away from Bendy, crouching to pick up the envelope before standing again with his eyes trained on the body of the unconscious project leader

“I’m going to burn this. As for the project leader… I want you to use it in the machine.”

Shocked and gawking for a moment, Tom stared at him

“You… can’t be serious.”

Chuckling, Joey waved the envelope

“Oh no, Tom, I’m quite serious! Remember our chat about souls? This is the perfect opportunity to test that theory! A very gift sent to our doorstep! Now, prepare him for it promptly and take him away; we don’t need anyone else knowing about it, you understand? If so much as a PEEP gets out, this project leader will be the LEAST of your concerns.”

Grimacing, Tom felt ready to cry out in anger; but he simply and very reluctantly began to lift the unconscious man.

“Whatta ‘bout the ink and other  _ mess _ ?”

Joey smiled pleasantly, gazing over to Bendy who quietly met it

“Bendy, would you be a  _ darling _ for me?...”

Bendy hesitated and looked to Tom, who simply nodded before the demon raised his hand making the ink flow back into the pipe and sealing itself. His eye trailed back over to the unconscious man however, giving a soft grunt of concern.

Joey shrugged, waving a hand

“Don’t worry too much over it, it’ll be fine… now; let’s get this man to the machine, and get  _ us _ cleaned up.”


	35. A Demon’s Lost Lullaby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Joey continues to influence the Ink Demon, his changes become more dangerous and apparent until it takes a turn too far. Starting to lose hope for his friend and moral integrity, Tom decides it's time to put an end to it- or so he hopes. Whether he can save the studio from his mistakes or not, he can only wait and see...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mild gore description, blood, violence
> 
> (See you all next week hopefully, enjoy!)

* * *

It had been long, grueling months after the first incident of Bendy attacking the project leader; Tom had tried to make the best of it, but to no avail. Since then, he’d lost count of how many people Joey had made him drag to the new ink machine before offering their ‘souls’ to it. Deep down, he knew he had become a hypocrite with what he was doing. Each person given to the machine came out… messed up. He wasn’t sure they were even alive at this point, considering the twisted, emaciated, and haunted looking forms they took on. 

It had gotten to a point Joey created a new company division for ‘overseeing’ the machine alone. Really, their job was to keep everything hidden and the abominations created by it contained in a deep pit at the bottom of the studio. It made Tom feel sick imagining how many people’s lives they were ruining and dragging into their nightmare.

Additionally, his worry for Bendy was only growing stronger the more ‘tasks’ Joey had him perform. It was starting to have a visible effect on the demon, too; his spines had grown sharper, his grin more menacing, and even his demeanor was different. Lately, Tom found himself more and more unnerved every time the demon came close to him- he hardly resembled the cowering creature he’d nurtured from before.

Now, Bendy was colder towards him and didn’t seek him or his company much anymore. But, there were moments. Rare moments, where the demon would almost break from his ‘new’ self, and come crying to Tom for comfort. The exhausted engineer was trying his best, but what could he do for him at this point? It seemed as if Joey had tainted his friend, and was ironically taking away the  _ demon’s  _ humanity.

Sighing, Tom currently was writing down a report on the machine’s maintenance as he pondered about Bendy. It felt like he was losing his own child who was becoming less and less the lovable and warm being he’d tried to raise him to be. Instead, his enemy was twisting and corrupting him with hatred, violence, and cold apathy with his false caring. The whole thing was bitterly weighing down Tom’s conscience, making him almost wish he’d spared Bendy the pain of being alive in this world from the start…

Shaking his head, he frowned staring at his hand now- how could he think such a thing? Even if Bendy was travelling a dark path, he still deserved to live as much as anyone. Right? Though, the many ‘sacrifices’ that he’d call murder were becoming a problem… just how much was he worth over their lives, if it ever was at all?

Before he can delve deeper into his moral dilemma, Tom’s office door slammed open making the engineer flinch and look up to an out of breath and panicked Gent engineer. Wheezing, he looked into Tom’s eyes before speaking

“Music department! Joey needs you,  _ now! _ ”

Snorting, Tom tapped his pencil to the paper of his report

“Oh yeah? Why? He need me to spit shine his shoes and kiss his mighty ass?”

“It’s Bendy- he’s… he’s lost control!”

Standing abruptly knocking his chair over, Tom took off running down the hal,l shoving past the engineer. He cursed to himself as he ran down the hall for the stairs;

“Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT ALL! I  _ knew _ Joey wouldn’t be able to handle the consequences! I  _ told _ him he was making Bendy unstable! God DAMN it!”

Having left the poor engineer in the dust, Tom practically leapt up the stairs to the music department; he could hear it now as he drew closer. There was screaming, shouting, and very clearly sobbing. Quickly, Tom burst out of the stairwell coming to and uneasy halt with a loud curse as he found a musician lay crumpled and bleeding on the floor. Not too far away, a second one was propped up against the wall leading to the recording studio. Quickly checking them, Tom found that they were thankfully still alive, but injured badly. 

Another scream came from the recording studio then, pulling his attention. Running that way, Tom burst into the room only to halt again at the horrible sight before him.

Bendy was holding up a struggling Sammy by the front of his shirt, legs kicking far too similar to the project leader in his first incident. Shaking and sobbing, the music director was whispering prayers and pleading for his life as Joey was brandishing a chair between himself and Bendy. All around, the various band members painted the room in red making Tom feel sick. Whether they were alive or not, Tom didn’t want to ask. 

Clearly panicked and having no control, Joey was shouting

“I TOLD YOU TO STOP! YOU’RE ATTACKING INNOCENT PEOPLE FOR NO REASON; PUT. HIM. DOWN!”

Tom shivered as a deeper unsettling feeling took over him, caused by an unnatural voice that let out a laugh full of pure cold enjoyment that was clearly coming from Bendy. In a raspy voice that was almost charismatic (had it not been for the demonic layered quality of it), he  _ spoke... _

“ _ But what is the difference between them and all of the others you’ve told me to take down?... if they’re a threat to the studio, they must be rid of! These ‘musicians’ don’t have nearly the proper talent to sustain the cartoons! They need to be replaced… or better yet, reinvented in the ink of /my/ machine! _ ”

Moving a bit closer with the chair, Joey shouted at him again

“THEY’RE PERFECTLY FINE! YOU’RE OUT OF YOUR MIND!!”

Cackling, the demon brandished Sammy who cried out in fear, pleading and sobbing still as Bendy spoke again

“ _ Perfect?! Hardly! They were always flawed and out of tune! They never kept on schedule, and you said yourself they could do better! _ ”

Looking to the cowering Sammy then, his intimidating voice became almost sweet

“ _ But /this/ one… /he/ is perfect. His tone, his melody, his cadence; even his /voice/! I will only accept him! Nothing less than perfect is acceptable! _ ”

Chuckling as if he’d told a good joke, Bendy burst out again towards Joey who backed away

“ _ But, according to you, even /that’s/ a lie! He’s far from perfect like the others, being so quick to judge and tear down anything he deems unworthy! Call me a hypocrite, but that doesn’t seem very /worthy/ of living either! _ ”

Raising his clawed hand, Bendy aimed it at Sammy who screamed before Tom stomped his foot shouting himself now;

“STOOOP!”

Having paused, Bendy’s smile quickly turned to a frown, staring at Tom; Joey had turned with a start as well, looking somewhat relieved to see him. Walking carefully and slowly towards Bendy now, Tom held up his hand keeping his gaze locked with the demon’s.

“Just… put him  _ down _ . Sammy isn’t perfect, but he’s still  _ good _ . Remember what I taught you?... you don’t have to be perfect to be  _ good! _ Just- don’t hurt him…”

Silently staring at Tom, Bendy slowly looked to Sammy who had his eyes shut in fear; huffing, the demon gently lowered the shaking music director before tossing him carelessly towards Tom. Quickly, Tom rushed to catch the screaming music director before the force of impact made them both grunt. Kneeling now, he let Sammy down to the floor so he could sit, keeping the shaken music director blocked from Bendy with his body

“What the Hell has gotten into you?... Why did you  _ do this? _ ”

Sneering, the demon threw his arms out to each side angrily making a mixture of bloody ink spatter the walls

“ _ Because I /had/ to! I /needed/ to! Joey always told me how nice it was to be rid of what he didn’t like! And he said he HATED the loud noise of those terrible musicians! The bickering, the out of tune instruments- all of it! I fixed it for him so I could be good! _ ”

Glaring at Joey, Tom growled

“Are you happy now?! Look at what  _ you’ve _ done!”

Looking shocked, Joey scoffed

“Me?! It’s not  _ my _ fault he went  _ insane- _ ”

Roaring terribly, Bendy made Tom feel frozen with fear and nearly want to run; The same effect gripped the music director, who’d become equally tense and statuesque in his grasp.

“ _Insane?! I did this for /you/! You always complained the music department was never on time, and they were driving /you/ insane! So I got rid of them for /you/! What do you want from me?!_ _Why is what I do never good enough for /YOU/!_ ”

Slowly, Joey tried reaching a hand out, but Bendy snarled and turned away from him

“ _ Clearly, I can /never/ be what you /really/ want me to be… neither of you. _ ”

With that, the demon skulked away phasing through the wall; the act surprised Tom, but made Joey sigh irritably.

“Well, there he goes now, off sulking again! I swear, that  _ demon _ … Now I have to deal with the whole music department!”

Feeling all kinds of emotions, mainly fury, hatred, and upset, Tom let go of Sammy standing up as he shouted at Joey

“HOW CAN YOU PRETEND YOU DIDN’T JUST TEACH HIM TO TEAR APART DOZENS OF PEOPLE?! HOW CAN YOU LOOK AT THIS AND BE OKAY?!”

Stamping a foot, Joey turned to him equally as angry and loud

“BECAUSE IF I TOOK EVERY MOMENT TO CONSIDER AND FEEL SORRY FOR EVERYONE, I’D LOSE MY MIND LIKE YOU’RE LOSING YOURS!”

Balling up his fist, Tom raised it about to take Joey out in one swing, but quiet nervous laughter filled the air halting him; it was coming from Sammy. Lowering his arm, Tom slowly turned to stare at the music director who was hugging his knees and rocking now, clearly in shock.

“I-it’s funny, isn’t it? H-how we’re just- replaceable pawns! In this game! Haha! hahahAHAHAH! Ah, it’s all so funny- like the cartoons! It’s all just a joke!”

Frowning, Tom quickly turned to Sammy ignoring Joey now as his concern for the music director was greater. Kneeling, he tried to stop Sammy from rocking but he stared into Tom’s eyes with his own wild and fearful ones, mouth twisted in a rather disturbing grin.

“You saw, didn’t you?? The way he spared me… he let me live! H-He deemed me  _ worthy! _ ... He called me  _ perfect! _ Oh, I’m chosen now, how lucky I am…”

Grimacing, Tom tried to hold him steady as Sammy started shaking horribly

“Just… try and take it easy. You’re going to be alright…”

Tom, however, wasn’t certain; the traumatic incident was likely going to leave Sammy scarred beyond belief. He would need both medical help and therapy from the aftermath. Behind him however, Joey scoffed, somehow still disturbingly calm and seemingly unphased by it as he spoke

“Alright is an overstatement… we’ll be lucky if he can ever leave the infirmary, including the others! Not to mention this entire floor is also going to take  _ ages _ to clean! What a mess…”

Slowly, Tom met Joey’s gaze, staring him down intently

“...Mister Drew, you are one  _ fucked up _ individual. And no, I don’t care that I’m saying this to your face, because you’ve  _ really _ fucked up now.”

Merely smirking at Tom, Joey said nothing as Sammy cackled again

“Fucked up! That’s  _ one _ way to put it! Th-that…  _ thing! _ He was  _ really _ fucked up, wasn’t he?? And yet, he thought  _ I _ was perfect! Hahahaha!”

Sighing, Tom tried to help Sammy to his feet, but the music director was so shaky and unstable from shock he nearly fell down again. Lifting him up entirely into his one arm now, Tom turned to glare at Joey

“...I’m taking him to the infirmary. Then, we’re both cleaning this  _ mess _ . And I mean Bendy too.”

Joey gave a shrug that made Tom want to punch him again, but instead he turned and let to take the nervously giggling music director to get some help.

God, he hoped it couldn’t get worse from here. Unfortunately though, things always had a way of surprising him.

-

A couple weeks after the music department incident, things had barely gotten any better to say the least. Any of the music department employees who’d survived were under watch to keep them from spreading rumor, and the rest… well, they’d been turned into ink creatures. Joey was struggling to find decent replacements for some of the musicians, especially now with the pressure to find the ‘best’.

Sammy, meanwhile, had managed to somehow blank the whole incident from his memory likely due to the traumatic shock of it. However, he’d become obsessed with some strange idea that a powerful being purged his and the others of ‘impurity’ and spared him. As a result, he sounded almost like a preachy cult follower anytime someone even mentioned Bendy, which was turning heads. Joey tried to explain the situation with Bendy to him and help him better understand that there was nothing good about it, but Sammy was barely processing it still.

As for Bendy… he’d thankfully become quiet and sulky, keeping to himself and lurking in isolated places instead of going near anyone. Though, Tom was worried what he might be thinking or was planning to do next. How far gone was he after all this? Unfortunately, Tom knew there was likely no returning from it now… which was why he was currently adding finishing touches to the ink machine’s center room.

Sadly, Tom felt he should have possibly listened to Joey in the first place and locked away the demon when he’d been told to… at least then he’d only have himself to blame, and far less tragedy. Finishing up his new additions, Tom sighed out loud as he gravely pondered what he had to do next. He’d have to lure Bendy in and hopefully end this nightmare, if at least long enough that it wouldn’t be his problem anymore. A bit selfish, but Tom was at his wit’s end.

It pained him, but he had almost entirely given up hope for his old friend he once knew; at this point, he was practically erased. Sometimes, a nagging thought kept telling him there was still a chance to save him, but too many doubts shadowed it. He wanted to try… but he was just too afraid. He’d witnessed too much horror committed by his friend to see otherwise no matter how much he wanted to.

Sighing and heading to find Bendy now, Tom couldn’t help but pull an old photo from his jumpsuit’s breast pocket. In the photo, he and Bendy were happily hugging one another with a Gent employee cap hanging crooked off one of the demon’s horns. What hurt him most was how they were both smiling, and seemed so happy… it was much different then, before Joey had intervened. Even if it hadn’t been too terribly long ago, it was long enough that it felt like a lifetime in light of recent events.

Pausing at his office door, Tom stared as he found the demon was conveniently waiting for him there. Sighing softly, he pushed away the nagging fear he’d succumbed to of his old friend; he had a job to do. 

Walking in, he turned the light on causing the demon to turn his head a little towards him

“Hey Bendy… What’re you doing here? I thought you were still done with me…”

Frowning then, Bendy slowly turned away again to Tom’s desk where the original blueprint he’d drawn for him was rolled out. Feeling a pang of sadness, Tom gazed down on it shaking his head a little; then, Bendy surprised him as he began to do something he hadn’t in a long time. He began to cry.

“ _ I… I never w-wanted to be evil. Joey always got so happy w-when I got rid of people… I thought… I thought he’d be happy. I thought he’d be… _ ”

“Proud?”

Bendy looked to Tom at that, going silent. Tom gazed back, frowning

“That monster could never  _ really _ be proud of you… he never learned how to love. He’s only ever known bitterness, and I’m sorry he lead you astray with your trust…”

Clenching his hands for a moment, Bendy tensed before relaxing them again

“ _...you’re right. I was wrong to think I could.. Find any approval from him. But he created me, right?… I just wanted… wanted him to like me. Either way, I guess it doesn’t matter… in the end, I shouldn’t have trusted him. Though… I can’t trust you either. At least, not anymore. _ ”

Feeling nervous wondering if the demon had somehow figured out his plans, Tom carefully chose his next words

“...I never betrayed you. I just wanted to make you the best person I could. Maybe… maybe I let you down on that. But I promise I never stopped caring… I’ll admit I was afraid of what Joey was making you do, but… you can still change. You just have to admit you were  _ wrong _ . Something Joey could never do…”

Staring at Tom, Bendy seemed to ponder his words before speaking quietly

“ _...I don’t think you entirely believe that. That I can change. But… I… I really missed you. I miss when you and I were happy and friendly… and, well… you were right. Hurting people doesn’t feel right… I don’t like it. I never did. _ ”

Feeling a bit solemn, Tom sighed softly through his nose

“You’re probably regretting it. Can’t say I blame you… If it makes you feel any better, Joey isn’t  _ really _ your creator… and neither am I.”

Looking to him with surprise, Bendy smiled now; it almost made Tom sad in a sense, seeing him excited to know Tom wasn’t his creator either.

“ _ Really? Then who?? I want to know! _ ”

“I’ll show you. All you have to do is follow me. ”

Leading Bendy with him to the vault room, the demon scoffed quietly as they went through a large security door

“ _ The vault room?... I’ve viewed every last tape and listened to every last recording in here. There’s nothing new you can show me in here… _ ”

Grinning a bit, Tom shoveed away a stack of boxes with some effort

“If that’s true, then what about the doorway you never bothered to uncover?”

Staring, Bendy approached it curiously now

“ _ Wha-? _ ”

“That’s right; there’s more to the vault than you knew. I have something important to show you that Joey would  _ kill _ me for, but at this point, I think you’ve earned the right to know…”

Unlocking the door, Tom pulled a lever that slowly opened it making the metal screech loudly.

“Follow me.”

Curious and a bit excited, Bendy followed after Tom who lead the demon into an area that had been dedicated to storage of the few things that started up the company. It was a personal vault for everything made and belonging to none other than the very man who Tom believed was the real owner; the real creator. 

Walking up to a dusty desk surrounded by stacks of books with drawings, animation cells, and boxes of art supplies and tools, Tom carefully moved some aside before blowing the dust off of it. Sitting on its surface was the very first reference sheet ever made for Bendy, signed by none other than Henry Stein.

“ _ This _ is your creator... an old artist friend of Joey’s who first conceptualized you right in his own mind.  _ He _ is the one who made you.”

Walking up to the desk in awe, Bendy gently touched the page looking as if he were having a religious awakening. Glancing to Tom then, he almost begged his question

“ _ What was he like? _ ”

Smiling a bit with a huff, Tom shook his head resting his hand on his hip

“I wish I could say I knew, but he was long gone before I ever set foot here… but, from the recordings he left and the notes I’ve read… he sounded nice. A really gentle fellow who was… honestly scarily similar to you with the way he trusted Joey. Unlike you though, the guy stood up for himself when he found enough was enough; ‘s the reason he ain’t here now. Walked out to find his own life and dreams.”

Frowning, Bendy looked to the desk again before slowly sitting in the rather uncomfortable wooden chair. Tom didn’t envy the artists who had to spend hours grueling over their work at desks like this.

“ _ Can I listen to the tapes?... _ ”

Nodding, Tom pulled a box over setting a recorder on the desk while handing the tapes to him 

“Go right on ahead… not much you’ll really learn from here, but… just know you came from someone better than Joey. Better than all of this. Hell… someone even better than me.”

-

After a while of listening to tapes and curiously looking through Henry’s things, Bendy seemed conflicted and unsatisfied. Tom had been partially hoping it might appease him, but the demon was apparently insatiable.

“ _ But why did he have to leave? Why did he leave Joey in charge, and just… abandon everything? Does he even know what Joey’s been doing? Does he know I even /exist/? I want to meet him… _ ”

Grimacing, Tom shook his head

“Sorry bud, can’t do that. He doesn’t know you exist, and It’s probably best he never does… I can’t imagine how the guy might react.”

“ _ But I want to meet him! I deserve to /know/ him! He’s like… he’s like my real family! _ ”

Frowning, Tom felt a sinking sadness weigh down on him; he had considered Bendy family… did the demon never feel the same?

“I’m sorry, but you can’t leave… you  _ know _ what would happen.”

Almost amusingly so, Bendy started to throw a small tantrum much like his tiny cartoon counterpart

“ _ I wanna see him, an’ I wanna see him NOW! I deserve to know the person who /made/ me!! _ ”

Staring in surprise, Tom watched as Bendy not only sounded more like the cartoon, but started once again  _ looking _ the part; he had unintentionally somehow shifted into his smaller self, clinging to the leg of Henry’s old desk.

“I wanna see him! I wanna  _ leave! _ I-I wanna go  _ home… _ I wanna  _ have _ a home…”

Tom crouched to the sniffling demon, gently placing a hand on his head

“I… I’m sorry, Bendy. Ya can’t leave… just… not right now, okay?”

Pouting, the little demon closed his eyes

“Not  _ ever _ , apparently… you guys’ll never let me out…”

Sighing, Tom gently patted his shoulder

“Hey… how would you like to actually  _ see _ the ink machine, hm? You’ve never actually seen the new one…”

Shifting back from the cartoon form, Bendy was at least smiling again

“ _ Show me! _ ”

Getting up now, Tom gestured for the demon to follow as they walked the rest of the way down the hall. Walking into the massive carved out room, Tom approached the edge that lead into a lake of ink surrounding the equally massive machine. Stalking up next to him, Bendy was yet again in silent awe as he took in the sight.

“ _ It’s… huge. _ ”

Snorting, Tom gave him a look

“Yeah? That’s an  _ understatement  _ really… You wanna see inside? I used that blueprint of yours…”

Excited now, Bendy nodded; Nodding back, Tom walked over to the ink grunting

“We’ll have to wade through, though… usually I wear my rubber suit when dealing with this thing, ‘cause I hate gettin’ ink in my shoes. Guess not this time…”

Walking over, Bendy held up his hands and easily parted the ink to make a pathway; smiling to Tom, the engineer gave a small huff of a laugh

“Right… forgot about that. Follow me…”

Heading into the machine, Bendy released the ink as they entered; looking all around, his mouth was open in wonder. He paused at the printing stations, staring at a Boris being made.

“ _...is he real? _ ”

Tom frowned, moving next to him 

“...I dunno. The machine’s been tryna make Boris for a while, but each time they come out, they just melt… I don’t think its quite figured him out yet.”

Frowning as well, Bendy slowly nodded before turning away from it to instead look around at all the deformed humanoid shapes being printed. Silent and still, the demon looked rather taken aback; Tom realized he was seeing what his actions had resulted in for the first time…

“I know… it ain’t pretty to look at. But there isn’t much we can do for ‘em now… just… try not to think about it too hard.”

Hanging his head, Bendy stayed in place as he seemed to be in thought; Tom, however, had one more thing to show him… one more thing before he had to betray his trust.

“Hey, c’mon; I’ve got something special for ya.”

Not moving for a moment, Bendy sighed softly before he finally followed Tom who lead him towards the central room. As they approach, he pulled a lever opening up the massive containment doors revealing what he’d set up within. A comfortable chair on a rotating gear platform surrounded by projectors was set up in the center of it.

“Since ya wanted somewhere quiet to hang out an’ watch the old cartoons, I figured i’d set something up for ya… Whaddya think?”

Hurrying over, Bendy picked up some reels from a box next to the setup before smiling at Tom

“ _ Will you watch with me? _ ”

Trying hard not to frown, Tom sighed

“Unfortunately, I gotta get back to work… but, you can stay here as long as you like. I won’t tell Joey I let you in.”

Quietly looking to the reel in his hands, Bendy set it down before walking up to Tom and hugging him tightly.

“ _ Thanks, Tom… You always were the nicest to me. _ ”

Pained, Tom gently patted the demon’s back, grimacing from the words

“Always… I just… I just want what’s best for you.”

Quickly turning away then, he started to briskly walk out of the room; tears were burning his eyes, threatening to give away his plan. Watching him go for a moment, Bendy followed only to pause when Tom stopped within the doorway, not quite blocking him, but still in the way.

“ _...Tom? Is something wrong? _ ”

Closing his eyes with a deep breath, a couple tears dripped from his eyes; he knew he couldn’t hide things well from Bendy. The demon could always tell.

“...You’ll be safe here, okay? Nobody’ll ever hurt you… you can stay away from all the evil of the world.”

Tom could hear the demon step closer; he sounded confused as he responded

“ _ What do you mean? What’re you talking about? _ ”

“...I dunno. I’m just being an emotional old man, alright?... Why don’t you play a reel?”

Turning, Tom could tell Bendy was staring at him despite his lack of eyes; he also had a frown on his face

“ _...Will you at least watch /one/ with me?... _ ”

Sighing, Tom rubs his eyes

“...yeah. Guess it wouldn’t hurt… go ahead and set it up; I just need a second…”

Looking uncertain, Bendy slowly backed away before turning around to set up the reel in one of the many projectors. As he was distracted, Tom took hold of the lever feeling sick from what he was about to do; there was no going back from it. He’d never see him again. At least, on friendly circumstances... the next time they met, if ever, Tom was certain they’d be enemies.

Pulling the lever, the doors started to close rather slowly; Tom prayed that they would close in time. However, he could see Bendy quickly lift his head and turn from the sound

“ _ Wha-? What're you doing?! _ ”

Getting up, the demon bolted for the door frantically- before he can reach it however, Tom pulled an emergency release he’d re-engineered to shut the door instead of open it. Within seconds, the door slammed shut and sealed, trapping the demon inside. Banging on the inner door, he could hear Bendy shouting now;

“ _ WHY’RE YOU DOING THIS?! YOU’RE LOCKING ME /AWAY/?! WHY?! YOU PROMISED YOU WOULDN’T LOCK ME AWAY! YOU PROMISED YOU’D /NEVER/! TOM?! TOM!! _ ”

Shutting his eyes tightly, Tom pulled a new mechanism he’d spent weeks installing inside the machine; with loud clattering slams, the inner central room sealed even more thoroughly with metal blast doors and pipe locks that effectively sealed Bendy in to the point he couldn’t phase through or reach any ink. Muffled behind them, a loud cry of despair echoed terribly throughout the entire machine that made Tom want to do the same. Placing his hand and forehead against the door, Tom slid down it to his knees, silently weeping. He could hear Bendy inside doing the same; it broke his heart, but now at least he was safe. Safe from the others, and safe from everything.

Getting up again slowly, Tom stared up at the massive doors in silence before he slowly turned, starting to walk away.

“ _ TOM! PLEASE, DON’T LEAVE ME HERE! PLEASE! YOU PROMISED YOU’D NEVER LEAVE ME ALONE! YOU PROMISED YOU’D BE THERE FOR ME! I-I DON’T WANT TO BE ALONE! I’LL DO ANYTHING! I’M STILL GOOD, REMEMBER?? PLEASE! _ ”

The lack of response however only made the demon wail before becoming surprisingly quiet, muttering his words

“ _ I-I’m not evil!... I can still be /good/… I just wanted to be good! Please… I don’t want to be alone… I don’t want to be alone… _ ”

Tom continued to walk away regardless, as hearing Bendy plead and beg soon became a numb ringing in his ears. Bendy never had to be hurt again… Joey couldn’t use him anymore. And in return, no more people would have to lose their souls to the machine.

Yet, in the end, Tom felt as if he’d already lost his own to it.


	36. Love Isn’t Always The Cure, But It’s A Damn Good Substitute

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After hearing Tom's story, Henry and the others consider their new feelings about the situation while trying to help Bendy return to the little demon they know him for. Despite the sentiments however, a chilling revelation of the cause for his demonic form makes Henry certain of one thing; the situation is getting darker, and they need to keep moving forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none
> 
> Notes: Only one art work this time for chapter 37! These chapters are a bit of setting up for what's to come, sorry for the sort-of cliffhanger this time LOL

* * *

Having finished his long story recounting everything that he’d experienced with the Ink demon, Tom sighed heavily as he looked to Henry who was frowning.

“He wasn’t always evil from the start… things happened, and he learned bad things one way or another. I tried to raise him almost like a son, but… well, I don’t know. It’s complicated I guess… that’s just another reason he’s bitter.”

Looking to Bendy who was currently laying on a couch next to him, Henry gently placed a hand on the demon’s forehead 

“...So he tried to be what our Bendy is? And he wanted to not only meet me, but be free?… that seems pretty reasonable if you ask me.”

Tom grunts, crossing his arms looking at Bendy too now

“I know it was… but I just... Well, look at how everyone’s reacting to  _ our  _ Bendy now that he looks like the Ink demon. The public would be far less generous than this- which is already hardly generous at all.”

Looking around, Henry could see the others were still wary and unsure of the situation; Sammy in particular looked like he was questioning things. Henry wondered if he might end up remembering the scenario Tom had described him in earlier. Closing his eyes for a moment, Henry sighs through his nose

“I guess you’re right… I just wish it didn’t have to be that way.”

Tom looked rather solemn for once, keeping his gaze on Bendy

“...Yeah. Me too. But that’s just the way it is, I suppose…”

Waving a hand, Tom looks to Henry

“That aside, maybe we can get our Bendy back to normal if we can figure out how the Ink demon changed him. He changed his own shape a lot, but never seemed to be entirely in control of it…”

Allison spoke up then, making both Tom and Henry look to her

“Maybe it was something to do with Henry?... You said that watching the cartoons inspired him the first time. The second time, it was because he wanted to meet Henry after learning he created him…”

Tom shrugs, looking to Norman who looks back at him. They couldn’t move very far from one another right now anyways.

“Maybe… maybe it had something to do with his reels. Hey Norman; remember the old showroom on the main studio floor? Were those the  _ old _ old cartoon reels in there, or the newer ones?”

Giving him a lot of shrugging in return, Norman shook his head before resorting to projecting his words onto the floor like he had before his speaker was fixed.

‘I don’t know; depends on which one he was watching. They were mixed’

Rubbing his chin, Tom went quiet for a moment before looking to Henry

“...I think it was something about skeletons? I didn’t catch a whole lot of it, but the part where it froze it looked like the devil was leaning on a rock if that helps at all… probably not. Was that one of yours?...”

Bendy spoke up then, making everyone glance over in his direction

“...I remember that! I was tryin’a have a picnic, but I got grabbed by a skeleton an’ Boris stole my food! What a jerk…”

Nearby, Boris gave a vague shrugging gesture that made Alice chuckle; Henry smiled a little at that before turning back to Tom

“Yeah… I remember it too because it was one of the first cartoons I ever made… I never got to finish it though, because I left before Joey finished producing it. I think he cut some of the film…”

Sammy got up then, looking curious

“That’s right! I remember the rumors of an incomplete cartoon… it became infamous gossip. Nobody knew why it was cut, but we were all dying to know the ending. Can you tell us now??”

Susie chimed in then, from a stool nearby where she’d been filing her nails with a tool she had borrowed from Barley

“Oh, yes! I remember that too! I must say, I’m pretty curious…”

Grimacing a bit as many curious eyes turn on him, Henry held up his hands

“H-hey, don’t get too excited… I can’t really remember it”

A chorus of disappointed sighs filled the air making Henry sigh too

“Okay, look… there was a few different ideas for the ending, but I can’t remember which one was  _ supposed _ to be used because Joey was going to pick. He’d be the only one who knows the ending…”

A strange chill fell over Henry at this last few words; it seemed almost like they had another truth to them he didn’t fully understand. The though is brushed aside however as Sammy sighed heavily, shaking his head

“Guess It’ll just remain a mystery then…”

Rolling her eyes, Allison turned to Henry again

“We’re getting off track here; the point is, you made that cartoon, right? And it was your desk that made the Ink demon more… Bendy. So, maybe  _ you _ can help him?”

Looking to Bendy now, Henry frowns

“...I mean, I guess it’s an idea, but I really don’t know how. All this ‘magic’ stuff makes no sense to me. I never really looked into it… I just know it does things.”

Tom once again turned to Bendy who looked rather miserable laying on the couch they’d brought him to; his devil tail was slumped to the floor, the tip of it impatiently lifting and patting down again repeatedly. Henry wondered what they were both thinking, but as always, he couldn’t quite tell; ironically, their cartoon expressiveness didn’t make reading them any easier. Tom spoke up again however

“...Maybe you just gotta give him some affection. All that sappy hope stuff seems to do magic here… might be worth a shot. At worst, nothing happens and ya look ridiculous. At best… well, you fix him, and we get a new weapon against the Ink demon. Albeit a really,  _ really _ cheesy one...”

Rolling his eyes, Henry kneeled by the couch being careful not to step on his tail; it was unusual seeing him with one…

“Hey bud… how’re you feeling?”

Pouting, Bendy tilts his head a bit to look at Henry

“I feel like crap!”

Trying not to laugh at the blunt response, Henry cleared his throat a bit before meeting Bendy’s clearly unamused expression

“...Oh come on, don’t give me that look- your response wasn’t what I expected.”

Puffing a bit, Bendy whapped Henry with his tail making the Artist flinch

“Alright, that was just rude!”

Grinning a little, Bendy shrugs

“Made me feel better…”

Shaking his head, Henry smiles at the demon before reaching both arms around him

“Alright, that’s it, you’re getting smothered now”

“WHAT?? NOOO, LEMME GO! I DON’T WANT YER DAD LOVE!!”

Laughing, Henry yanks the struggling demon into a hug now 

“Sorry, what was that? I can’t hear your with my old man hearing and  _ dad love _ ”

“YER THE WORST!! LET ME GO OLD MAN!!”

As Henry cuddled the demon, he could see the others looking amused and less gloomy while watching. Bendy tended to have that effect on people, which was intentional; he made them feel better because he was made to entertain. Getting an idea then, Henry smirks

“Hey… you guys know what would really help? Teasing him. Maybe if we embarrass Bendy enough, he’ll shrink from literal embarrassment”

Snorting, Tom actually grins a little

“You might not be wrong there…”

Allison smiles with a bit of an awkward shrug

“What kind of stuff do we even say?”

Henry looks to Bendy who was now trying to shove his face away

“Oh, you know… how cute he is when he gets pouty and embarrassed”

“WHAT?! I AM  _ NOT _ CUTE!! THAT’S INSULTIN’ TO MY PRIDE!”

Laughing a bit, Henry squeezes the demon who comically stuck his tongue out with a squeaky toy noise; Alice angel added on then, much to Bendy’s dismay

“It is pretty cute when he does that! I also like how cute he is when he sleeps~”

Sammy snorts, unable to help grinning as he crosses his arms

“He’s almost like a cat when he sleeps… especially when he curls up on Henry pretending he doesn’t like him.”

“WHAT?! YOU’RE LYIN’! THAT AIN’T TRUE!”

Henry looks him in the eye, rather smug

“Oh yeah? How come I always woke up with you on me, then?”

Puffing, the demon glanced away

“Yer just a good heat rock, ya squishy old man!”

“Aw c’mon, that’s just mean… you know you do it out of love”

“I DO NOT!!”

Susie casually joined in then;

“You know he’s a huge scaredy cat too… remember that whole thing where I broke the glass? You should have  _ seen _ the looks on your faces when you all scrambled like cats in a thunderstorm. That was  _ priceless _ ”

Sammy smirks, giving her a sly look

“If I recall, he was holding your cutout’s head even”

“LOOK, ANY REASONABLE PERSON WOULDA BEEN SCARED! RIGHT, BORIS?”

Boris shrugged a little before nodding, but Henry shrugged as well

“I wasn’t scared.”

“THAT DOESN’T COUNT! YOU KNEW THAT WOULD HAPPEN!”

Henry found the demon’s reactions amusing, but it wasn’t having much effect; at the very least, he was acting more like himself though. Perhaps it was time to try a more sincere approach.

Henry starts pulling Bendy into a more comforting hug closer to himself with some struggle from the demon, but he quickly slumped giving up. Henry was pretty strong after all, having had to survive the studio’s Hell for so long.

“...Bendy, I just want you to know that no matter what, I’m glad I got to meet you. Maybe I’d never even  _ dreamed _ of my creations becoming real, but… well, you’re one of the best things to ever happen to me. Especially in this place.”

Bendy slowly met his eyes, frowning in silence for a moment before scoffing

“Alright, really funny! Now stop it!”

Smiling, Henry shook his head

“No, I  _ mean _ it; because of you, I took the chance to make things different… to try and make them right instead of just following the script. And look at what you’ve done… you brought us all together. You helped protect us, keep everyone alive, and even fight your worst fears… just because you could. You may be a demon, but… you’re more pure hearted than a lot of people.”

Staring for a moment, Bendy quietly whimpered struggling more

“ssssSTOOOP! THAT’S NOT TRUE AND SO GROSSLY SAPPY!”

Alice angel sniffed herself then, waving a hand at Henry

“No, keep going! I want to hear it!”

Looking at Alice, Bendy sounded betrayed

“Alice, c’mon!! No ya don’t!”

Henry sighs a little, looking to the others for a moment before turning back to Bendy

“It  _ is _ true, and you know it… you may not want to admit it, but you’ve been trying to be good. How many times have you saved us now? Especially me and Sammy?”

Sammy sighed loudly, brushing some of his hair from his face

“...He  _ did _ save me quite a few times… and surprisingly didn’t take advantage of my blind worship like the Ink demon did”

Susie sighed as well, looking equally reluctant 

“He saved me from the Ink demon too…”

Edgar pipes up then, adding to their list;

“He’s saved all of us countless times from the Ink demon, and helped many more! He helped the lost ones, recruited new allies, and even protected me... he is a rather valiant soul.”

Bendy was squishing down in Henry’s arms trying to hide, clearly embarrassed; Henry found it amusing, considering he wasn’t so small at the moment. Resting his head on Bendy’s, Henry spoke quieter specifically to him now

“I know It’s hard to believe, but you  _ are _ a good person; soul or no soul, demon or not, you’re still important to me… you gave me something to hold onto. You gave  _ me _ hope. I’m never going to Leave you again...”

Henry had listened closely with dread to Tom’s stories of the Ink demon, feeling guilty for what had happened. He wished he’d known before, because maybe he’d have been able to prevent so much of the suffering and tragedy… but what was done was done. Now, this was the least he could try to make up for it… at least, to half of the Ink demon. For now.

Pouting, Bendy nudges him a bit

“Alright, ya don’t gotta be so sappy… ‘m just glad I got ta meet ya, Henry…”

Smiling a bit, Henry spoke louder for the others to hear;

“Don’t you mean  _ dad? _ ”

Grimacing now, Bendy shoves him again

“NO!! I THOUGHT YA WOULDN’T TELL ANYONE!”

Shaking his head, Henry pulls Bendy into one last hug with a small laugh

“Sorry, sorry; I’m done teasing you, promise…”

Pouting again, Bendy seemed reluctant, but hugged him back anyways

“Yer so  _ cheesy _ … I guess ya really  _ are _ a dad.”

“Yeah,  _ your _ dad- you’re stuck with me now”

Bendy didn’t protest , which made Henry feel glad; it seemed the demon didn’t despair at the thought of having to live with him. Gently rubbing Bendy’s back a bit, Henry was still smiling before he paused, feeling something sticking out of his back. 

“Uh… Bendy, I think there’s something in your back.”

Blinking, the Demon looks at him

“What??”

“There’s just… something there”

“Well, can ya pull it out?”

“I’ll try, but… it might hurt”

“Well, I don’t think keepin’ a mystery object in my back is much better!”

The others were all leaning around in curiosity, wanting to see what was going on. Henry took hold of the bit of object sticking from Bendy’s back before making a face as he pulled on it. With a sickening inky squelch, it thankfully came free without much force, but Bendy still grimaced; it probably hadn’t felt that great.

Suddenly, as soon as the object had been pulled free, Bendy groans holding his head making Henry worry

“What?? What’s wrong?”

“I-I dunno, I just… feel funny-”

Within seconds, the demon starts to physically shrink and change; before long the little demon they all knew and loved was sitting in Henry’s lap, blinking in surprise. Baffled, Henry looks down at him

“...That’s what was keeping you stuck like that??”

Making a face, Bendy snorts 

“Ah, damn it; of course he’d curse me! That’s just classic! Stupid Ink demon… you guys smothered me with embarrassment for nothing!” 

Sighing, he turns to Henry

“Well?? What is it? What’d he use on me??”

Laying it flat in his hands, Henry stared at the strange thing he’d just pulled free; it was… a bit of green cloth?

“...It’s… green cloth?”

Everyone was staring now, Tom leaning forward a bit

“...Color? In  _ this _ dimension??”

Henry furrowed his brow as he tried to think of how that was possible; the only place he ever saw color in this realm was…

“Oh no...”

Silently, everyone stared at him waiting for an explanation. When Henry didn’t explain, Allison leaned towards him 

“Well?? Oh no  _ what? _ ”

Looking at the cloth with dread, Henry felt a chill settle over him yet again

“...it’s a piece of Joey’s robe…”

Getting several funny looks now, it was clear nobody else understood the gravity of the situation. Henry felt frozen trying to comprehend… how had the Ink demon gotten a hold of this? Was he and Joey connected? Why did the cloth make Bendy turn into  _ that _ ? 

After a long moment of Henry’s silence, Sammy snapped his fingers at him bringing Henry back to attention

“Well?? What the hell do you  _ mean _ a piece of Joey’s robe?! What robe?? What do you know that you’re not telling us??”

Sighing, Henry clutched the bit of cloth in his fist as Bendy frowned up at him

“Remember how I told you I found chemicals for my invisible ink outside of this place?... Well, this  _ also _ came from there. It’s… It’s not good. If this is here, then… this is really bad.”

Tom grunts, giving him a look

“Ya mind not talkin’ in riddles?? Just tell us already for god’s sake!”

Looking around to them, Henry frowns

“...every time I got to the end of my journey here, I always used a reel to reset things… then I’d end up in Joey’s home. Only, it was like… a weird memory from long ago; when he asked me to come back to the studio…”

The many surprised looks made Henry feel a bit uncomfortable, especially when Sammy jumps to his feet

“ _ What?! _ You end up in his  _ house?? _ What do you even see there?!”

“Well, for one thing, the items that turn on the machine. Also, a lot of drawings and papers from the studio… there’s this one desk in the corner too. It’s covered with drawings that are like variations of what happens here… it even has  _ you _ guys”

Norman holds his arms out in exasperation silently while Tom speaks for him

“Why didn’t you say something about this earlier?? Don’t you think it could’ve been  _ important _ for us to know a detail like that?!”

“I didn’t want you to panic! Besides, I don’t entirely know what it means myself! Joey always gave me the same speech about roads and choices, and pushing him to do better; then I go through his front door and end up back at the start of the studio-”

Susie cuts in then, getting up herself

“ _ Joey?!  _ You see  _ Joey _ there?!”

Sighing, Henry vaguely gestures while Bendy continues frowning up at him

“...Henry?”

Looking down at the little demon, he frowns again

“...Yes, I see Joey. But he’s old. Old as I was before I got stuck here, and I don’t think it’s  _ really _ him… I’m sure It’s just my memory of him. But…”

Holding up the bit of cloth again, Henry furrows his brow feeling the cold unease settling over him once more. Something about Joey seemed to always give him the feeling...

“...If this came from him… if it came from  _ there _ … then we might have bigger problems than I thought. It could mean the Ink demon managed to somehow find a way out… at least, into that memory-space-thing.”

Allison frowns now, understanding it seemed

“Not only that… but there’s a chance  _ he  _ could’ve been brought here, isn’t there?”

Henry grimaced at that, looking to her wildly

“You’re _ right _ . Oh god… this is  _ really _ bad.”

Before they can continue pondering over the bit of cloth however, Sammy cuts in

“Uh, guys? I really think you should look at the wall. Like, right now.”

Turning then, Everyone looked to said wall; ink had bled through it dripping to the floor, leaving messy letters scrawled across it.

They read:

‘You’ll find me in the demon’s lair’

Being clung to by Bendy now, Henry held the little demon close as he stood, frowning at the still bleeding writing

“...It seems we’ve been invited. We have to keep moving forward… we have to enter the machine.”

Turning to the rest now, Henry became rather serious and his expression stern

“It’s now or never... so here’s the deal. Either you trust me and put away your fear to fight for our potential freedom… or you stay behind. There’s no time left, you all have to decide  _ now _ . Maybe you’ve changed your minds with what happened, which I understand; I’m not going to try and force anyone to go. But you have to tell me now whether you’re going or not. Is anyone staying behind?”

Silence fell over the room, everyone staring at Henry; he could tell there was some internal questioning going on. Stepping forward then, Tom gruffly responds

“After the hell I’ve already been through, I’m not about to sit back and let someone else fight my fight. I’m going.”

Allison stepped next to him, nodding

“Me too.”

Norman yanks his wire back finally, making Tom grunt and glare at him, but the projectionist simply idly flicked ink off before giving Henry a thumbs up. Sighing, Sammy rubbed his brow

“...I’ve followed you around this long, I suppose it only makes sense I don’t run away now… I won’t deny that i’m  _ terrified _ that we’re all going to  _ die _ , but at least I won’t just be wasting away losing my sanity again.”

Henry turns to directly address him, Bendy’s head doing the same

“Do you trust us? Bendy and me?”

Giving a slightly uncomfortable look, Sammy gave a slow shrug 

“I… I’m still not happy to just be learning about the Ink demon thing. But if you really wanted me dead, or to use me, you would have already… that’s good enough for now, I suppose. Besides… I’d like to give my ‘lord’ a piece of my mind for what he’s done.”

Susie sighs herself then, nodding in agreement

“I want to show that stupid demon a piece of my mind too, as do my little crew…”

Charley snorts, beaming

“HELL yeah! I’m gonna give him the ol’ one two fer all those times he’s messed with us!”

Comically making mock fisticuffs with his one fist and hatchet, Charley caused Barley to lean away frowning a bit

“...I’ll go where my friends do, I don’t want to be left behind…”

Edgar nods, looking rather pensive

“I swore it to be my duty to protect others, and have been given protection many times by Bendy… I owe at least that much back to him, and everyone here.”

Alice and Boris both walk over to Henry, smiling at Bendy who slowly stuck out his tongue looking unamused while Alice speaks

“We’re a trio that can’t be separated too- we go where Bendy does!”

Nodding then, Henry turns back to look at the wall still holding Bendy who looks with him, frowning in unison

“Then it’s settled… we’re all ready to take our trip straight down to hell.”

Groaning, Sammy rolls his head

“Did you really have to put it like  _ that? _ ...”

“If you have a better description for going to the bottom-most level where a literal demon is waiting for us…”

Staring blankly for a moment, Sammy nods 

“Alright… fair point. Hell it is.”


	37. Farewell Facade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally entering the machine, Henry and the others recount their plans before sharing a long lasting farewell in case things take a turn for the worst. It may be time to face the demon, but Henry feels comforted he's not doing it alone this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none

* * *

Having finally arrived at the ink machine, everyone stood silently stoic side by side staring off at the massive structure. The silence Henry felt was a mixture of awe, nervousness, and fear for what lay ahead... afterall, they’d soon be coming face to face with the Ink demon for what felt like the final battle.

Taking a deep breath, Henry took the first step forward, balanced on the ledge to the ink below that lead to the machine.

“...Alright Bendy. Just like we discussed- you know what to do.”

Taking a step next to Henry, Bendy raised his arms and closed his eyes. Within seconds, the ink rumbled and parted away, leaving a stone path to the machine’s entrance. Gently picking him up, Henry hopped down with a clack of his shoes before turning to the others briefly

“Alright… let’s go. Quickly now”

Stepping forward too now, Tom hopped down next before offering his hand to Allison who took it and jumped down next to him. Norman clanked loudly to the ground with a grunt, looking to Sammy who slid himself down not wanting to jump. Susie did the same, the butcher gang following her lead. Finally, Alice angel watched Boris slide down who offered a hand, but she simply leapt before floating to the floor smiling.

Nodding, Henry turned and started walking briskly for the machine’s entrance; he didn’t want to make Bendy hold the ink longer than he had to. Soon, everyone was on the metal platform before the doorway allowing Bendy to drop his arms with a wheeze, letting the ink rush to fill in the pathway again. As it splashed loudly, Henry addressed him

“You alright?”

“Yeah… my arms just hurt a little, like holdin’ them up fer too long.”

Smiling a bit, Henry set the demon down before drawing a Gent pipe from his belt. In return, everyone drew their various weapons; Henry had to make sure they were all equipped. Allison and Edgar had their swords, Tom, Charlie, and Sammy all had hatchets, Susie had her tommy gun, and Barley, Boris, and himself all had pipes. The only few without weapons were Norman, Alice angel and Bendy; Norman preferred fighting without a weapon, Alice angel wasn’t predisposed to being violent, and Bendy didn’t need one thanks to the ink.

Taking a deep breath, Henry could feel the special sword he’d made tucked inside his shirt; he wanted to make sure not to use it unless he absolutely had to. The moment the Ink demon learned of the weapon, he’d likely stay far from it rendering it useless; thus, they only had one chance with it for plan B.

Looking around to everyone once more, Henry nods

“Alright; remember the plan. Bendy, mind helping out again?”

Shrugging, the demon held up his arms turning towards the way they came

“I mean,  _ someone’s _ gotta do it...”

“Everyone, move out of the way; stand close to the walls as you can”

As everyone pressed to the walls, Bendy used the ink to transfer four miracle stations past them and down near the door leading to the center interior. Setting them down, Bendy wheezed again catching his breath while giving Henry a look

“Man, those things ain’t light! Even without the toilets in ‘em…”

Making a face, Sammy scoffs

“Disgusting… why did Joey have to be too cheap to install more bathrooms…”

Shaking his head at the comment, Henry turned to the others with a look of determination

“Okay, so to briefly recap here, we’re splitting into three teams; Teams A, B, and C. Teams A and B will be dealing with the Ink demon directly, while team C sneaks off to find the control room in the back of the machine. Team A will be the main fighting group that tackles the Ink demon head on, but Team B will be backup if necessary. Otherwise, Team B’s goal is to divert and confuse the demon as much as possible without being caught.”

Stepping towards the group then, Henry pointed each person out as he listed them

“Susie, Tom, Barley, and Boris, you’re Team C; make sure you stay absolutely out of sight, and don’t let the Ink demon catch on that you’re here.”

Watching their group separate off, Henry nodded before continuing

“Sammy, Norman, Charlie, and Alice, you’re Team B; make sure not to get caught by the Ink demon, but do what you can to distract and lure him into the central chamber when we’re ready. Sammy is your appointed leader, and has one of Barley’s communication devices to keep in contact. If anyone is separated, try to regroup soon as possible and let the rest of us know.”

Sammy sighs, fiddling with his axe a bit

“Are you sure I’m the right fit for a leader here? I’m not exactly the most stoic or valiant…”

Looking him in the eye, Henry nods

“Of course you are. You were the head of an entire department, and are used to directing others; i’m sure you’ll handle it fine. Besides, the people on your team should listen to you without issue”

Sammy glanced down at the grinning piper next to him, grimacing himself

“Uhm, I’m not so sure about that…”

Charley winks at him causing the music director to make a face

“Henry-”

“You’ll be  _ fine _ . I promise.”

Susie pipes up then, pointing at the grinning Charley

“You behave now, Charley- got that? You listen to what Sammy tells you.”

Rolling his eye and giving a dramatic wave of his hatchet arm that makes Sammy lean away, he pipes up

“Ehhhh fine, I wasn’t gonna give him trouble anyways; this is too important! As much as I love foolin’ around, I ain’t gonna put everything in jeopardy like that. See? Nothin’ to be afraid of, prissy pants!”

Looking unamused, Sammy glances to Henry

“Is it too late for a new team?”

“Yes.”

“Damn…”

Rolling his own eyes now, Henry turned to the rest

“That leaves Bendy, Allison, Edgar, and me for Team A. We’re going to take the Ink demon head on, and fight him if we have to; we’re the ones who’ll be trapped with him in the room if this goes according to plan. Does everyone understand?”

Receiving various forms of acknowledgement, Henry looks to the miracle stations now

“Alright; now here’s what’s going to happen. While Team C makes their way to the controls, both Teams A and B are going to get the Ink demon’s attention. The longer we can get him to hopefully hesitate and monologue, the better. When things do start to get hairy, both teams’ll split and take off in different directions to create confusion. He’ll be following after us for sure; i’m just not sure who his priority target will be.”

Snorting, Bendy crosses his arms

“Knowing him, It’s probably either you or me.”

Sighing, Henry nods

“Yeah… probably. Which is why you and I will have to be especially careful. Now, when Team C reaches the control room and sets the trap, both teams A and B will converge to lure and divert the Ink demon into it. That’s where the miracle stations come in; Both teams will get one door to protect themselves and share amongst their respective groups as we push him to the trap.”

Gesturing to the stations, everyone’s attention turns

“As you can see, we only have four to work with. When the Ink demon falls into the trap, Team B’s job is to push the last two stations into the center room while it starts to seal off. Then, Team A will be locked in with him and have two stations to work with. Depending how it goes, we’ll either be able to shelter in them or use the doors; Either way, we’ll have to wait and see.”

Bendy frowns, looking up at Henry

“So... When we’re locked in with him, then what?”

Frowning as well, Henry looks down to him

“Then, I have to try and either talk him down from fighting… or get close enough to kill him. But that’s the absolute last resort if it comes to it. Are there any questions?”

Sammy raised his hand a bit, looking unsure

“Just one... what happens after we either pacify or kill the Ink demon?”

Henry gives a rather honest shrug

“I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see. Either way, we’ll hopefully be able to find a way out of this place without being tormented and stopped by the Ink demon anymore.”

“Huh, that’s rather inspiring…”

“I’m sorry... I know it’s not a whole lot, but it’s better than the alternative.”

Another voice cut in then;

“You mean us dying?”

Henry turns to Allison, who had said it; she had a concerned look on her face. Solemnly nodding, Henry looks down

“...yeah. That’s the other alternative. Either failing, or dying. But that’s not going to happen; we have to have faith. Before we go, just… if you have anything left to say to one another before we split up, you should probably do that now.”

Tom walks up to Allison without hesitation, Holding her tightly; she hugs him back, sighing deeply.

“It’ll be alright Tom… I know you’d rather be with me, but we’ve both got a job to do. Just make sure you get there in time, okay?... We’ll see each other again. Promise.”

Tom whines a little, squeezing her closing his eyes; Allison smiles, but Henry could tell she was worried. She takes hold of Tom’s face, giving him a smooch on the nose that makes the grumpy wolf snort before they smile at one another.

Susie approaches them then, offering her hand to Allison who looked a bit surprised as Susie spoke

“I’m glad to have properly met you,  _ if _ you could call it that… maybe once we’re out of this place, we can actually spend time getting to know one another.”

Smiling, Allison takes and shakes her hand firmly

“Agreed. When we’re out of here, I’d love to get some coffee…”

Susie snorts, smiling

“You read my mind.”

Sammy walks over too now, sighing

“Would you mind if me and Norman came too?”

Allison shrugs, looking to Henry

“Guess everyone’s invited to coffee after this.”

Chuckling a bit, Henry nods

“That sounds great…”

Surprisingly then, Sammy walks over to Bendy before crouching in front him

“You have been an absolute terrible  _ pain _ in my life for  _ years _ in more ways than one…”

Snorting, Bendy gives him a look

“Wow, bye to you too?”

Rolling his eyes, Sammy sighs

“ _ But, _ And i’m only going to say this ONCE so you better listen-  _ But _ , I’m glad that I did get to  _ actually _ meet you… maybe you weren’t the holy savior I was hoping for, but you’re at least decent enough. After this though, you can bet I won’t be pretending to love you anymore.”

Bendy laughs before hugging Sammy who blinks,seemingly unsure before giving in and hugging the little demon back a bit

“Sammy, yer a real riot, ya know that? I like yer style! Just promise ya won’t kill me in my sleep, ‘kay?”

Unable to hold back, Sammy’s mouth twitches into a grin

“...Maybe.”

Bendy mockingly sneers at him before smiling again, Sammy standing up now; Henry was smiling as well. 

Nearby, the butcher gang were all hugging one another, as well as Susie who looked a little less enthusiastic about it. Charley looked like he was on the verge of sobbing, but Henry held a finger up to his lips; they had to be quiet and not alert the Ink demon, if they hadn’t already.

“I-I love ya guys so much… all of yas! But especially you two, Ed and Barles. Come back in one piece, okay?”

Edgar sighs dramatically, cringing a bit

“Yes yes, we care for you too… I do not plan on being taken down by my foe anytime soon; you owe me a debt still, and I  _ refuse _ to die before you repay it, Charley.”

Sniffling, the piper beams at him

“Aww, I love ya too Ed!”

“For the last time-”

“Gar.”

“.... I hate you sometimes.”

Barley chuckles quietly then, making both of them look over

“...Sorry, it’s just funny. I like you guys a lot… don’t die on me either, okay?”

Edgar smiles warmly, while Charley grabs the startled Barley into a big hug

“Aww, of course we won’t! Who would be your loud annoying friends otherwise??”

“Y-yeah, a real tragedy…”

Chuckling, Charley sets him down before his expression became rather serious

“But, for real… Don’t get hurt, okay?... I dunno what’d I do if he gotcha, Barles…you either, Ed.”

Edgar frowns a bit, but nods; then, all three turn to Susie who blinks realizing they were finally paying attention to her, Edgar speaking for them

“Ma’am… we can’t thank you enough for saving our lives and bringing us together; we hope that you can respectfully accept our decision to not so blindly serve you anymore… but we offer gratitude and appreciation.”

Smiling then, Susie crouches and reaches a hand out, gently ruffling the striker on the head to his surprise

“Oh, Edgar… of course I understand. Things are different now; all of us are different too. I’m just happy to see how far you guys have come… you’ve turned out to be a wonderful leader and gentleman”

Beaming, Edgar looked positively full of pride; Susie turns to Charley then, smiling

“And you, even if you  _ are _ rowdy and loud, you’re compassionate and warm; i’m glad to see how well you can bring light to dark situations, and help these two stop being so serious.”

Sniffling again, Charley’s lip quivers

“Aw, yer gonna make me cry, angel!”

Susie chuckles before looking to an almost startled Barley, who seemed nervous

“Barley… you’re such a talented engineer and mechanic; I know you’ll do great things. You’re quiet and timid, but have a collected nature that helps cool these two off… together, all three of you make a perfect balance.”

Barley blushes a bit then, looking away as all three showed various forms of pride in her words. Henry found he was rather moved by it too, smiling himself.

Edgar breaks off from their group to approach Bendy then, who raises an eyebrow at him. Nearby, Alice angel put a hand to her mouth looking like she was expecting something. Edgar now stood before Bendy, rubbing the back of his head with one arm

“Bendy, I… I am glad to have met you. You are certainly not the most perfect individual, but you have amazed me time and time again. I…”

Bendy gave him a questioning look, not quite understanding why the striker seemed hesitant; Henry could see both Alice and Boris leaning in with anticipation now though.

“You alright, Edgar? Yer actin’ all embarrassed…”

Flustering, Edgar puffs a bit trying to keep his cool, but not succeeding very well; nearby, Susie got a look of realization on her face, as did the other two butcher gang members. Henry raises an eyebrow, wishing he knew what he was missing out on right now.

“I-It’s just- difficult to say!... But I want to say  _ something _ in case… well…”

Rolling his eyes, Bendy places a hand over the striker’s mouth, surprising him

“Y’know what? We’re gonna be fine like Henry said! So why dontcha save it fer after? If it’s that important to ya, sayin’ it now is probably a pretty crummy idea. Actin’ like this’ll be the end will just bum us both out, and might not be the right moment, ya know?”

Blinking, Edgar sighs when Bendy moves his hand nodding

“You… you are probably right. For now, just… I am glad to be able to fight by your side.”

Offering his hand to Bendy, the demon smiles and hugs him tightly instead; the flustered striker slowly wraps all of his arms around Bendy in return, smiling. Henry smiles too yet again, thinking how nice it was to see them get along… and how his face was starting to hurt from smiling so much.

Next to him, Henry slowly caught on that Sammy was currently speaking with Norman in a hushed voice he hadn’t noticed at first

“...we never got a chance to before, so when we’re free, I want to take it. Would you want that?...”

Tilting his projector head down, Norman’s flickering light falls on him

“Of course I would. I didn’t spend ages waitin’ ta find ya again just to say no… you know I love you.”

Flustering, Sammy looks down before Norman reaches a hand over and gently brushes the hair from his face

“Hey now… don’t look so down. We’ll be fine, alright? You and I can watch each other’s backs, got it? No sacrificin’ ourselves for the other an’ all...”

Nodding, Sammy looks up to him frowning still and crossing his arms

“I just worry…”

“Heh. You  _ always _ do…c’mere.”

Norman pulls Sammy into a hug then, cuddling with him; Henry almost felt embarrassed he was watching as if he should look away.

“Norman, I…”

“It’ll be fine. We’re here together now, and I ain’t gonna letcha go again, no matter what.”

Slumping his head to Norman’s shoulder, Sammy nods before he gently cups the projectionist’s ‘face’ in his hands, kissing the front of it under his lens. Sighing softly, he looks up into Norman’s eye

“Sometimes I really wish you had lips…”

Snorting from his speaker, Norman ran a hand through Sammy’s hair

“Yeah… me too. Who knows? Maybe when we’re outta here, something’ll change.”

Sammy closes his eyes, relaxed in the projectionist’s grasp

“Hmm… maybe. Even if it doesn’t though, I’ll still love you…projector head and all.”

Henry couldn’t tell what Norman’s expression was, but he was certain it would’ve been rather emotional

“Hmm… glad ta hear…”

Turning away from them finally feeling he’d snooped enough, Henry watched now as Boris and Alice were approaching Bendy. Then, all three of them clung to one another in a group hug, squeezing together. Boris quietly whines before struggling to sign in the hug

‘I love you guys even if things weren’t always the best between us’

Alice nuzzles both of them, making them smile

“I love you guys too~ you’re the best friends a gal could ask for…”

Sniffling, Bendy pouts a bit, but was smiling still

“Aww shucks, you guys are gonna make me cry!... Alice, Boris… I’m glad I got ta see you guys again… yer both my best friends! I just wish we didn’t have ta reunite in this literal  _ Hell _ ”

After being emotional with one another, the three then turn to Henry who blinks and nervously realizes they were heading for him.

“Uhh, guys? Everything alright?…”

“Come here, old man!”

“Bendy?- WAIT-”

Suddenly, all three of them were smothering Henry in a hug, making the old artist quietly laugh a little and hug them back. 

“Alright alright… I love you guys too.”

Bendy beams at him then, looking a tad bit smug 

“Of course we love ya… dad.”

Boris and Alice nod, making Henry emotional 

“Aww, Bendy… guys...”

“Oh Jeeze, don’t cry old man! Ya know how I feel about makin’ an old man cry!”

“I won’t, I won’t!”

However, Henry felt another person hug him from behind. Confused, he struggled to see who it was, finding... Sammy had clung onto him?

“Sammy?-“

“Don’t say anything. I just… thank you. You helped me,  _ and  _ reunited me with Norman and everyone else… so… yeah.”

Feeling even more emotional, Henry smiles feeling like he was on the verge of tears. Slowly, one by one, everyone joined the group hug to give Henry one big squeeze. 

Sniffling a little Henry smiles

“You guys…”

Susie looks to him speaking for the others

“I think it’s safe to say we’re glad you found us all, and that you’re here. You’re far better than Joey could ever dream of being.”

Getting a chorus of agreement, Henry sighed contently, feeling glad.

“I just want to make things right… thank you, guys. I wish I’d known what Joey would’ve done, because maybe I could’ve stayed and protected you all from him… but, unfortunately, life is unpredictable like that...”

Norman snorts then, shaking his head

“C’mon Henry, ya can’t take the blame for it like that. There was no way in Hell ya woulda known this would happen”

Bendy chimes in too, grinning

“Yeah; all ya wanted was a family and a life you could be happy with- how can anyone blame ya fer that? Leavin’ was a good idea. I’ve come to accept that ya had to… you deserved that as much as anyone- even me.”

Staring a bit, Henry slowly wipes his eyes making Bendy’s face fall

“Aw, man, ya said ya  _ wouldn’t! _ ”

“I-I can’t help it; I’m sorry…”

Sighing, Bendy smiles at him

“Yeah yeah, you emotional old man…”

Still smiling, Henry thinks how things had changed so much from when he’d first met Bendy; he wasn’t sure how much time had passed since then, but it felt like ages. Just back then, Bendy had been bitter still and not entirely happy Henry had left and even partially blamed him, but now… he’d forgiven him and even suggested it was the right thing to do. 

That affirmation was something Henry had surprisingly really needed, considering how guilty he always felt when Joey accused him of ditching. He’d made the choice for himself, for his  _ own _ future, disregarding anyone else… it had seemed selfish at the time, but he was coming to terms with the idea of truly deserving a content life like anyone else. Even if Joey in the beginning hadn’t deserved losing the studio entirely, at this point Henry had stopped feeling as sorry for him. Unfortunately though, there was still that bit of doubt and guilt… Joey  _ had _ been his best friend, afterall.

Sighing, he pushed away the thoughts for now; currently, they had a mission to try and achieve. They would have to move forward, and keep holding onto hope.

“Alright guys, this is it… let’s catch ourselves an Ink demon. But this time, we’re going to succeed and finish this.”


	38. Inside the Devil’s Den

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally facing the demon head on, Henry and the others set their plan into action as they enter the dreaded ink machine. However, things aren't quite as they were as the demon takes on a new form creating a hot of unforeseen problems for Henry and his friends. Now, they can only try to salvage their plan as the demon toys with them in his own sickening games...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: body horror, graphic description of transformation, bleeding, horror, mild gore, violence, injury, impalement
> 
> Notes: These next couple of chapters are a lot more violent/intense due to fighting, but I wouldn't say it's that bad (though i'm not that squeamish when it comes to some horror writing). There's two drawings this time, one for each chapter, but the one for chapter 38 is a re-used drawing I pre-made for the fic that's simply been touched up. enjoy!

* * *

Having pulled the lever to open the hall leading to the center ‘throne’ room, Henry moved forward cautiously with their designated teams; Meanwhile, Tom, Susie, Barley, and Boris had successfully found an alternative route and had snuck away by now. Henry waited to give them some time to move forward, but they had to act now in case the Ink demon noticed the others inside his lair. It was time to be a distraction.

Walking forward with the other groups now, everyone held their various weapons with caution; Henry knew that the weapons would be rather useless against the Ink demon, but at the least they provided an illusion of protection that might help them fight. Nearby, the slightly hidden miracle stations were the true protection they’d be using later on; currently though, they had to rely on not being caught. 

Now investigating the ‘throne’ room, the others looked up at the multiple screens in awe, taking in the sight of it all. Bendy in particular was staring up at them, frowning; Henry wasn’t sure if he was reminiscing, curious, or disturbed. Maybe all three. The little demon simply turned to the throne however before quietly speaking

“...I… remember this. Sort of. Or maybe it was the Ink demon?… but, I remember what Tom said. Man… we sure spent a lot of time watching old films…”

Henry frowns, gently resting a hand on his shoulder. Bendy smiles at him a bit, sighing

“It’s fine; just… weird to remember things that don’t even feel like my own memory. It’s also weird seein’ things I remember as cartoons on the outside…”

Henry looks up at the screens, curious about what he meant- but it would have to wait for later

“We can discuss that later, but right now we need to draw our special ‘guest’ out... You guys ready?”

Sammy huffs a bit, shaking his head

“I don’t think we’ll ever be _ready_ , but you might as well go ahead…”

Nodding, Henry looked to the tape recording machine before pressing play. As Joey’s voice filled the air, everyone looked around at the cartoons, listening intently. Henry had heard the speech hundreds of times, but it was new to them. In fact, this was actually a bit new for Henry too considering they were here with him instead of being alone… something felt very odd about that, but he wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was just the fact that it broke from the routine so much?

As the recorder clicked off however, Henry came to nervous attention as he stared at the chair in anticipation for the Ink demon to show up. However… nothing was there. Frowning, Henry approached it cautiously

“He… he was supposed to be right-”

Allison’s voice cut in then with a tone of alarm

“Henry, Behind you!”

Turning, Henry finds the figure of the Ink demon blocking the doorway and effectively their only way out of the room. Grin twitching menacingly, he tilted his head before speaking in that ever terrible voice

“ _Well well well… brought some guests, have we? I didn’t know I’d be having so much company… I’d have cleaned up the place a little_ ”

Furrowing his brow, Henry steps down from the throne before facing him

“We don’t have to fight. We’re only here to put an end to this. That end doesn’t have to be violent, if you’ll just let us talk...”

Looking around at the many faces, the Ink demon chuckles darkly

“ _Doesn’t it, though? Things are certainly different now, you and I are fully aware of that… but that doesn’t mean my hatred for you has /changed/. I will grant you one thing though… I /can/ be different. Just not in the way you’re probably ‘hoping’..._ ”

Chuckling again, the terrible laughter echoed rather loudly and chaotically in the room; Henry felt his eyes burn a little with tears before he notices that somehow everyone else had been affected the same. How had they heard his laughter that time? Weren’t they unable to hear his voice? 

Then, before them, the Ink demon started to become ‘different’ indeed… and, not in the way Henry had been hoping just like he’d been promised.

The Ink demon’s body started to elongate, his spines growing into long sharp spikes; additional spikes began rupturing all over him, two from each shoulder blade long as his now dreadful claws, one per elbow, one on each hip, and two per shoulder. His horns grew longer as well, matching the many spikes all over him. Both of his arms slowly began shifting then, becoming identical. Each forearm became thick with ink, cartoonish gloves covering both hands now as his fingers became long and clawed with ink stains on each fingertip. As the Ink demon leaned forward, Henry could see a tail erupt from behind him, spiny and disturbingly whip-like; it was a classically pointed devil’s tail. His left leg only grew more disfigured while the other began to look more digitigrade and demonish, his foot now clawed and gargoyle-esque.

Standing up to his new impressive full height then, the Ink demon bared a grin that now sported viciously sharp separate teeth where his cartoon smile had been. Additionally, his bowtie had a pitch black hole in its center looking as if his soul had been gouged out through it. Lifting one arm, the demon waved it before his head, revealing a halo now floating around his elongated horns much like a magic trick. 

Cackling, he spoke again, but this time his voice was _much_ worse; it had lost any human resembling quality, and was indescribably horrid. Henry could only think how it was unholy, and certainly full of hatred that made him want to shrink and run away.

“ _I think this form suits me as a ‘demon’ much better, don’t you think? But why not still pay homage to my origin, just a little?..._ ”

Sickeningly then, Henry watched with horror as the demon’s head ripped away from his own body with a wet squelch, floating a few inches away from his now visible neck vertebrae; since when did he have bones??

“ _There… now… how do I look?_ ”

Around him, everyone had various degrees of disturbance at the demon’s new appearance; Sammy in particular had gagged at the last change

“Th-That’s so… horrid…”

Tilting his head at that, the Ink demon gave a toothy smile in his direction

“ _Hm, maybe you’re right… it’s a little difficult to move with a leg like this. No worries; I’ll just fix it… permanently._ ”

Raising a clawed hand, Henry realized what he was intending to do; feeling some protective instinct twist in his gut, he takes a step forward shouting with a hand extended

“NO! DON’T-”

However, it was too late; the demon slashed the malformed leg clean off at the knee, allowing the inky-mess of a limb to ooze and turn into a sickening puddle on the floor, bleeding more ink from the damage. Slowly leaning forward onto his hands and one leg like an animal preparing to charge, he hisses terribly

“ _/Now/ I can move properly… and kill you ALL_ ”

Before the demon could react however, Bendy suddenly slammed an ink filled barrel into his face causing the Ink demon to reel backwards and roar. Bendy yells then,

“SCATTER!!!”

Without hesitation, both teams separated and bolted past either side of the Ink demon to escape the room. The demon, Henry remembered however, never relied much on his sight to begin with; promptly, said demon slammed his hands directly into several of them as they tried to run past him. Sending them flying, they’d broken through the walls separating them, various teammates now scattered over the floor in the next hall over.

Thankfully, the walls he’d broken weren’t in the throne room, which would’ve compromised the plan to seal him in. Not so thankfully, Henry, Norman, and Edgar had all just gotten slammed through a wall and were trying to recover and were now separated from the others. Touching his communication device, Henry weakly croaked through it to Team C

“Guys, hurry; he’s pissed, and things are already _really_ bad”

Letting go of it, Henry rolled over quickly struggling to his feet as the other two did, all three moving barely in time as the demon leapt through the hole after them with claws extended. Skidding past them, the Ink demon went bolting forward with the momentum slamming into and disappearing through the other wall.

Over his communication device, he heard the crackling voice of Susie

“Already?? We’re just getting started; don’t die that quickly! We’re still trying to get into the dang system!”

Before he could respond, Henry flinches as Edgar yells;

“ABOVE YOU!”

Throwing himself to the side, Henry watches the Ink demon fly down from above, slamming through the floor into an inky puddle where he’d been standing a moment earlier. Jumping to his feet once more, Henry wheezes

“He can pop out of anywhere now?! Usually he’d just get really big and run around the place like an angry bull!” 

Norman snorts, looking to Henry with his flickering lens

“So, what you’re saying is this is worse?”

“ _Much_ worse! Regroup and update the others, tell them to watch from every direction- now!”

Nodding, Norman goes running and clanking away to find his own team while Edgar nervously looked around them. Somewhat luckily, the Ink demon seemed focused on Henry specifically right now which meant the others had enough time for the news to spread- at least for the moment.

Edgar looks to Henry with concern, Henry frowning in return as the striker speaks

“We have to find and regroup with Bendy and Allison; I have a bad feeling about what may happen if we don’t…”

Henry nods, turning in unison with the striker as they both hear the Ink demon screeching distantly. The sound was disturbing to say the least, and coming right for them. Waiting for the demon to get close enough, Henry shoved himself to the wall at the last second so the demon careened right past and hit another wall. Not waiting to see what happened next, Henry bolts down the hall making sure not to run in a straight line just in case; he didn’t want to make it too easy to be caught.

Henry wasn’t sure if Edgar had managed to keep up in the moment until he sees the striker swing past him with a grappling hook that Henry wished he’d had himself. Turning a corner to a different hall, Henry nearly ran right into Allison who had Bendy with her, but thankfully she took hold of Henry by his shoulders to stop him before quickly questioning him

“What’s going on?? Is this supposed to be happening?”

“This? No, not really! This is _entirely_ new to me!”

“What do we do then?”

“Right now? Try not to get caught. He’s coming out of any direction, even above, so don’t let your guard down for a second!”

“Okay, makes sense, but what do we _do?_ ”

Looking around, Henry sees the levers he would usually pull

“Start pulling levers. I’ve got an idea”

Splitting off into the room, Edgar stayed with Allison while Bendy stuck with Henry who uses the communication device to contact Sammy now

“Sammy, I need for you guys to start pulling as many controls as you can; I want to start blocking off doors and opening others to confuse the Ink demon!”

Crackling in response, he hears the demon’s screech both distantly and over the device;

“What?! What if we just trap us in a smaller area with him, or get lost?”

“Just trust me! We have to try and keep him close to the center room, and busy chasing us!”

“Fine, but if it ends up giving him the advantage, I’m not going to be happy!”

Gripping his pipe, Henry looks to Bendy 

“Ready to burst some pipes? You’ll need a little something to fight with”

Cracking his fingers, Bendy gives him a devilish grin

“I was LITERALLY born ready… Let’s _bust this machine!_ ”

Nodding, Henry turns to the nearest pipe by one of the doors and smashes his weapon into it; with a loud creaking groan, Bendy makes a yanking motion at the damaged spot bursting a hole straight through that floods ink from the pipe onto the floor. Using the ink, Bendy causes the mechanism to a nearby door to spark and burst; With a metal screech, the doorway starts to shut.

“Let’s try and corral this demon…”

Working together, their teams had managed to bring the area down to an almost maze-like shape that lead only two ways; the throne room, and the glass ink pipe room that connected back to the throne room. Unfortunately, the closed off doors had left them with even less space to work with; as a result, they’d had to use the two miracle station doors early. Henry hoped and prayed they’d last long enough to corral the Ink demon back into the throne room when it was time.

Currently, it was like playing the world’s worst game of hide and seek where they had to stay quiet as they could and try to anticipate where the demon would come out of next. Henry had already had several close calls that made him and Bendy both very nervous. 

Listening closely, Henry keeps his focus for anything that might give away the Ink demon’s presence while Bendy watched his back and the ceiling. Pausing, he heard a bubbling noise that elicited a gasp from Bendy; Quickly jumping backwards, Henry flinched as the Ink demon burst from a pool of ink on the floor, screeching so loud it made his ears ring.

Hoisting up a door from one of the stations, Henry braces himself as the demon slams roughly against it making him slide back further over the ink; he couldn’t get a good foothold on the slippery metal ink coated floor. Clinging tightly to Henry’s back, Bendy had yelped loudly in his ear not helping the ringing. Grimacing, Henry tries shoving back against the Ink demon’s force, but he was much bigger and stronger. Eventually, the golden light of the door built up making it spark a bit before launching the howling demon off of it and back into the ink. Sinking down, he growled in frustration.

“ _This game won’t last /forever/, Stein… one slip up, and you’re /dead/._ ”

Frowning, Henry roughly sets the door down with a grunt, looking over his shoulder to Bendy who was also frowning

“He’s not going to keep this up forever- the Ink demon’s smart… he’ll change up his tactics soon, I just know it.”

Bendy looks distantly down one of the halls, nodding

“What worries me is I think I know what he’s gonna try next…”

Distantly, Henry hears a shriek that makes him freeze as a horrified chill goes through him; the demon had finally caught somebody.

Running towards it while struggling to drag the door, Henry found the others had also come running, surrounding the Ink demon on various sides as he stood tall and looking proud. In both hands, he held not one, but _two_ of their friends. Struggling, Sammy looked terrified beyond belief while in the other hand Norman was screeching up his own storm of fury at the grinning demon.

“ _Now then; who should I kill? Who should I spare?... Or should I just kill them both? So many choices… Reminds you of what that fake Alice used to say, doesn’t it? About the difficult choices of the ‘beautiful’, heh heh heh…_ ” 

Turning to Henry then, the demon beams with delight

“ _How about /you/ choose, Henry! Pick one to die. If you don’t… I’ll kill them both_ ”

Distraught, Henry feels rather helpless in the moment; they were at a major disadvantage considering the Ink demon’s power. 

Bendy snarls with frustration from Henry’s back, jumping off and holding up his arms; The Ink demon snarls back however, much louder and much more intimidatingly

“ _You so much as move a DROP of that ink, i’ll sever both of their heads!_ ”

Pausing in the action, Bendy was clearly frustrated and angry; Henry felt rather similar considering. Lowering his arms, Bendy yells at the Ink demon

“Yer a messed up sicko!! You _know_ Henry can’t just decide somethin’ like that, ya bastard!!”

The Ink demon simply chuckles at them, seemingly enjoying their frustration. 

“ _Language, little brat… name calling isn’t very nice!_ ”

Bendy looked ready to burst when behind them Alice angel’s voice calls out with desperation

“Please, don’t hurt them!! You don’t have to do this!”

Freezing for a moment, the demon’s smile falters as he turns his back on Henry and Bendy, looking down on Alice who was standing with Charlie and Allison.

“ _...Alice? The /real/ Alice angel?... you’re kidding me..._ ”

Henry could see her standing tall before the demon, but her nervous body language gave away she was still afraid

“Th-That’s right! And i’m telling you to let them go!”

“ _Oh? Or else /what/? You’ll cry?..._ ”

“O-or else i’ll use my… my angel magic on you!”

Staring blankly, the Ink demon devolves into mocking laughter

“ _Angel magic?! You’re not even a real angel, you’re /fallen/!_ ”

“That doesn’t mean I don’t have anything! I can still hurt you!”

Silent now, the Ink demon seemed distracted with uncertainty; it seemed even he didn’t know whether that was true or not. As Alice held his attention, Henry hears his communication device crackle to life with Barley’s voice

“We’re ready to seal the room. We’re waiting on you to bring him in now, but you need to _hurry_ \- There’s a _lot_ of corrupted butcher gang copies trying to get in! The others are fighting them off while I keep the controls ready, but I don’t know how long we can wait!”

Henry was surprised to hear that- how had they gotten into the machine?? Then, he realizes, it was likely they’d been printed and let out right into it. He only hoped the machine wasn’t currently feeding an endless supply to the fight...

“Understood. I’ll signal when we’re ready”

Looking to Bendy, Henry speaks quieter so the distracted Ink demon doesn’t hear him

“They’re ready. We need to start the next phase now”

Smirking, Bendy holds up his hands again

“I thought you’d never ask…”

Lifting the ink quietly behind the demon, it formed two whip-like shapes that Bendy cracked against the demon’s hands, causing him to roar in anger and drop both Sammy and Norman. Whirling around with surprising speed, the Ink demon’s tail whipped Henry away and into a wall like earlier, winding him and briefly blacking him out for a moment. Holding his aching head, Henry can’t see it as it happened, but he heard shouting and scrambling around the room.

Shaking off the force of the collision with difficulty, Henry struggled to his feet leaning against the wall now seeing Charley had sunk his teeth and hatchet arm into the Ink demon’s severed leg stub while Edgar had sunk his sword into the demon’s back and was hanging on for dear life. Despite this, the Ink demon was focused on swiping his claws at Bendy and Allison who were both fighting him off instead while Alice angel was helping Sammy and Norman. Charging in now, Norman and Sammy both raised their two miracle station doors blocking the Ink demon away from Bendy and Allison.

Becoming clearly frustrated, he slammed down on the glimmering doors that Henry could tell were beginning to lose power; they’d have to act fast if they were going to lure him into the central room. But what would possibly catch his attention enough to get him moving without directly putting them in danger?

Moving around the side of the room behind the demon to one of the doorways, Henry turned to face the demon’s back. Taking out his special ink pot, he opened it and quickly poured some over his pipe before sealing and replacing the ink pot. Looking up to Edgar hanging off the demon’s back, Henry shouts

“EDGAR! I need a flashlight!”

Quickly, the striker pulled a small utility flashlight from his belt and threw it down to Henry; the Ink demon had caught wind of their interaction however, and turned. In doing so, his tail whipped around and accidentally knocked the falling light away into the corner of the room. 

Grimacing, Henry looks up into the sharp dripping teeth of the angry Ink demon; he had nothing to protect himself now.

“ _What do you think you’re doing, /Stein/? You can’t hide from me! You can’t escape me!_ ”

Lunging for the flashlight, Henry slides over the slightly ink stained floor and grasps it, but he feels the demon’s claws had wrapped around his leg in his desperate bid to get the light. Without hesitation, the demon yanks Henry upwards and upside down into the air, making the old artist nearly drop his weapon and flashlight.

Face to face with the Ink demon, Henry frowns feeling helpless as the others shout and try to pull away the demon’s attention, but his focus had latched thoroughly onto Henry. Mouth spreading into a vicious grin that made Henry worry he was about to be eaten alive, the demon laughs as Henry struggles uselessly

“ _Look at you now! Their savior and leader, a mere tiny mouse in my claws! You will die painfully and slowly..._ ”

“M-Maybe I will, but not by your hands- if I can help it!”

“ _And what, pray tell, do you intend to do? You cannot escape, you have nothing-_ ”

Flicking on the flashlight, the Ink demon stares blankly standing there while the others were pointlessly beating on his legs. Aiming it at his pipe, it illuminates gold making the Ink demon cringe from the brightness.

Holding both together then, Henry tries his best from his upside down position (and from the blood rushing to his head) to swing with as much force as he can. Colliding the pipe with the center of the demon’s face and upper teeth, Henry winces himself as a resounding crack and spray of ink resonated from the impact. 

Howling in pain, the Ink demon throws Henry full force down into the others causing him to bowl over a good portion of the group. Struggling to get up, Henry gets hoisted by Norman who thankfully set him back on his feet; the Ink demon was busy reeling with pain, giving them the perfect opportunity.

“Everyone, RUN!”

Thankfully, nobody hesitated at his command- everybody booked it for the central room at various speeds. Henry turns to see Bendy and Charley struggling to keep up when he hears Sammy’s voice call out;

“Edgar, quick; get those two!”

Swinging from the ceiling, the striker skillfully scooped both toons from the floor and towards the rest of the group. With a loud slam, Henry flinches as the Ink demon’s clawed hands had dug right into where the two had been moments earlier; he’d finally recovered and was chasing them feverishly. To Henry’s dismay, he was gaining on them far too fast as well- they’d never make it.

“BENDY, SLOW HIM DOWN!”

“HOW?!”

“I DON’T KNOW, HIT HIM WITH SOMETHING!”

Holding out his arms, Bendy made a yanking motion that sends a cascade of ink and metal plates from the walls flying at the Ink demon. Unfortunately, it glances off of him with little effect. At this rate, they’d either be cutting it close, or not at all.

As if answering a silent prayer, one of the doors shuts halfway in the path of the Ink demon without warning causing him to slam into it and jolt to a halt. Roaring, he quickly breaks it off continuing to chase, but it had granted them the extra time they desperately needed. Quickly using the communication device, Henry continues to run with the others

“Thanks, Barley!”

“Just keep going, i’m trying everything I can-”

Henry hears a loud shout cut him off over the device 

“Barley?? What was that, is everything okay?”

Static fills the air for a second before the fisher’s voice cuts back in

“-fine, but having more trouble. Just hurry!”

Hearing doors shifting and trying to slow down the frustrated Ink demon, Henry could feel his lungs starting to burn; he may have gotten used to running, but he still had his limits. His head was still throbbing as well from being slammed around so much, and the others were getting noticeably tired. They just had to push a little further…

“Push the stations in, now!”

Norman, Sammy, Allison, and Alice all slammed into the two stations trying to push them into the center room, but the stations were too heavy and slow. Finally dropping free from Edgar’s grasp, Bendy does a flip landing on his feet before throwing both arms forward. With a brief surge, ink shoves both stations along with their friends into the throne room; at the very least, the stations were in place. Catching up, Henry turns to check the Ink demon’s progress only to find he was right on their tail. However, he slides to a halt outside the throne room looking skeptical.

Henry knew he was expecting something given their bid for the throne room, but Henry also knew how to bait him one last time; turning back on the communication device, he shouts

“SHUT THE DOOR, NOW!”

Looking taken aback as the doors begin to shut, the Ink demon lunges through them; fortunately, he’d mistaken Henry’s command as wanting to shut _out_ the demon, luring him right in as intended. Glancing around at the various others trying to quickly escape the room, Henry’s eyes lock with Bendy’s who understands him without words. Making one last throwing motion with his arms, the ink that he’d brought into the room floods out carrying all of Team B with it just barely as the doors finished closing.

Snarling, the Ink demon was standing perched on his throne now looking down on Henry, ink dripping from his teeth still from being hit with the pipe earlier

“ _If you think a simple door will seal me in or out, then you’re sorely mistaken!_ ”

“Oh, it’s not _just_ the door… Barley, hit the switch”

“ _...What? What’re you- NO!_ ”

With resounding metallic slams, the very mechanism that had sealed the Ink demon within so long ago now fell back into place, effectively locking all of them into the room. Grimacing a bit, Henry’s ears were ringing once again; the many loud sounds were beginning to take a toll on him. Shaking it off, he takes a step forward gesturing up at the Ink demon

“Don’t bother trying to pull ink in here to escape, the pipes are already empty. You’re trapped.”

Sneering, the Ink demon’s anger turned to a devilish grin

“ _Yet, you’re in here with me… what /is/ your plan, I wonder?_ ”

Allison, Bendy, and Edgar hurry over to Henry standing by his sides. Frowning, Henry looks up at the Ink demon who was balanced on his one leg high up on the throne. It made his already impressive height seem even more intimidating.

“...Well, I was hoping I could get you in a position to listen to me.”

Silently staring down on him, the Ink demon seemed baffled before he lets out dark laughter that makes him and the others visibly cringe

“ _Listen? To /you/ of all people? You have /truly/ lost your mind…_ ”

“Maybe, but I’m hoping you haven’t entirely lost _yours_ ”

Sneering once more, the Demon clanks down from the throne before their group

“ _Whatever ‘hopes’ you may have had to persuade me to your side, give up on them now… because i’m not letting you leave until I tear you and ALL of your friends apart, piece by piece… And /then/, I will reanimate them in my ink to tear them down again!_ ”

Glancing at the stations, the Ink demon slowly looks back to Henry with a smile again

“ _As for these? The rules have changed…_ ”

Lunging, he grabs one of the stations making Henry shout;

“NO!”

Throwing it at the other station, they collide and smash apart into useless wooden debris; feeling mortified, Henry looks to his friends regretting having dragged any of them into such a stupid situation. 

“ _Don’t you see, Henry?... you were /never/ in control…_ ”

Allison looks to Henry with a worried expression, but she still seemed somewhat hopeful somehow

“Well... guess we’ll have to improvise the plan a bit, huh? I’m thinking it’s now a ‘see who tires out first before dying’ situation...“

Frowning, Henry looks back to the grinning demon whose smug expression only added insult to injury

“...I’ve got a bad feeling this is only going to get worse”

Spitting at the Ink demon, Bendy glares angrily

“Doesn’t matter either way, there’s no way we’re lettin’ ya win, Stink demon!”

Groaning and sliding a hand down his face, Henry looked up at the ceiling

“Yup; it got worse.”


	39. Hands Behind the Strings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Attempting to get through to the demon, Henry's talk breaks down into unfortunate fighting that reveals new horrible truths among others. When all seems to be over, a surprise turns the game as they learn the truth behind the studio nightmare...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: bleeding/blood (sort of it's inky), impalement, cutting, choking, blunt force impact, violence, fighting, injury

* * *

“Alright, Ink demon… you’ve clearly got us cornered without defense. Before you mindlessly murder us, will you at least let me have a few words in first?”

Staring at Henry, the Ink demon straightened out looking rather curious. Henry knew that as much as he was full of burning hatred, he was still complex with other emotions. The demon had a way of wanting to play with strategy, bringing mind games and learning the enemy into everything he did. Maybe, just maybe, Henry could keep his attention long enough for them to figure out what to do now that they had zero protection from his wrath.

“ _...All these years you had a chance to come find and speak to me… and only now that you’re trapped under your imposing doom, you wish to ‘speak’? I’m rather tired of playing games and waiting… but I will admit; you have piqued my interest. _ ”

Holding up his hands, Henry slowly approached the Ink demon despite the clearly nervous reluctance of the other three watching him. He wanted to try and show some sort of respect, because cowering as far away from the Ink demon as he could get would only make his words feel less sincere.

“I have a few questions for you, if you’ll answer them. First, I want to know how you got that green cloth you put in Bendy… second, I want to know why  _ exactly  _ you blame me for this- aren’t you upset with being here like us? This place isn’t exactly welcoming or fun for any of us… not even you.”

Snorting, the Demon leans backwards, slumping onto the throne to sit; his tails flicked impatiently as he answered

“ _ The cloth is an interesting bit I don’t have to explain to you. You’ll just have to wait and see, if you survive that long. As for your second question… of /course/ I blame you! But, not /only/ you… it’s interesting, you see. I blame every last miserable cretin who was a part of this hell studio. You just happen to be the wretch who gave me the capacity to /suffer/ in my creation _ ”

“But I didn’t bring you into this world- I never meant for this to happen!”

Leaning forward, the demon’s voice became a harsh roar that made Henry hold up his arms defensively

“ _ It doesn’t matter what you /meant/ to happen! You brought me to existence in this world from paper, and you left knowing Joey was planning something without bothering to stop it! You are every bit responsible as anyone else, abandoning us all! And as for the studio itself… It’s like a wonderful playground for me! You may find it daunting and evil, but I find it the perfect haven to torture you to my content. Leaving would be useless considering what ‘waits’ for me outside… _ ”

“Considering?... You mean you’ve never wanted to leave? Because from what Tom told us, you  _ wanted _ to leave, but he and everyone was afraid of how the world would’ve treated you…”

Snarling, the demon impatiently whipped one of the projectors with his tail, smashing it

“ _ What has he told you?! He knows nothing! Perhaps once long ago I wanted to leave, but now it doesn’t matter; I was treated like a monster in this place, I was treated like an evil demon by my creators, i’ll be treated like one anywhere! Therefore, leaving is useless. So, i’ll happily stay in /my/ domain, keeping you here to suffer /with/ me! You get to feel what it’s like… always trying to be free from your torment, getting so close, only to have it /ripped/ away! _ ”

“But it didn’t have to be that way! It doesn’t have to be that way now! You were treated unfairly- you’re right! But staying here won’t change anything. You can’t tell me you’re happy like this...”

The Ink demon merely smirks at him in amusement, ignoring his words; Henry takes a deep breath then, the demon’s floating head tilting as he asks his last question

“Fine… just one last thing… do you remember?”

Frowning, the demon sat up straighter looking confused

“ _...Remember? Remember what? _ ”

Stepping forward right before the intimidating creature, Henry stares the Ink demon in the eye, unmoving and stoic

“How it felt.”

Snarling and leaning close, the Ink demon growls right in his face

“ _ How what felt?! If you keep speaking like this, I’ll tear you down where you stand; Clarify! _ ”

Closing his eyes for a moment, Henry steels his nerves again trying to fight down his urge to flee

“Do you remember how it felt... to be happy? To be loved, and feel love? Back when Tom protected you, when he comforted you… the pride you felt? Do you remember wanting to do anything to please Joey, and the cold dissatisfaction he always gave in return? Do you remember the frustration, the fear, the strong desire for something more than this?... Do you remember how to feel anything but  _ anger? _ ”

Staring blankly at Henry, the Ink demon seemed to be processing his words; slowly, he leans away looking up at the projector screens playing cartoons (besides the broken one). Henry could tell his friends’ eyes were trained on him from behind, likely worried at his proximity to danger

“ _...Remember… How can anyone remember anything in this place? The machine has a way of taking your memories, bleaching them away in its cold darkness, erasing them slowly one by one. Any past feelings I may have possibly had were illusion and do not exist anymore… after all, isn’t life simply an /illusion/? _ ”

Looking back down at Henry and leaning closer with a cold smile, he hisses

“ _...And what I do feel now, is the bitter cold hatred of those who wronged me and the rather satisfying joy of tormenting them for their sins _ ”

Tensing up and preparing for the Ink demon to strike, Henry slowly realizes nothing had happened… Looking up again, he noticed the Ink demon had leaned back in the throne, hands folded together

“/ _ But/, I do remember /one/ thing… I remember /you/, Henry. _ ”

Staring, Henry furrows his brow feeling confused

“Me?... that’s… that’s not possible. I wasn’t at the studio when you were made-”

“ _ Oh, but you /were/. Not by the machine… no. I remember your face… I remember the way you were smiling down on me when you’d first finished the final lines that made me. You looked… proud. Happy, even. _ ”

Looking up into the light coming from the ceiling, the Ink demon frowns

“ _ The moment you’d created me on that page, I’d never forgotten the way you looked at me like that… but now… well… _ ”

The Ink demon’s mouth slowly spread once again into his sharp grin, head tilting down towards Henry casting an ominous shadow over him

“ _ Now, look at what your little drawing has become! Something you can’t even bear to look at anymore… _ ”

“That’s not true.”

“ _ Oh? You can’t tell me you don’t fear me now… especially like /this/! _ ”

Frowning, Henry boldly stayed before him, face to face with the cold anger of the Ink demon. Taking a shaky breath, he closes his eyes before speaking

“I don’t fear you… I fear what poisoned you. I fear what you’ve become because of everything we failed to do for you…”

Staring silently, the Ink demon’s grin faltered; leaning back, he sneers

“ _ What, then? You /pity/ me now? Where was your pity and compassion before I was an immediate threat? _ ”

Opening his eyes, Henry looks up to the demon, standing his ground and bracing himself to be bold

“You have every right to be upset… nothing can justify what was done here in this studio, nor to you. I’ll admit I was afraid to admit I was wrong- but I want to make it right… I want to help you, if you’ll just  _ let _ me-”

“ _ Help! Hah! I don’t believe a word of what you have to say… your bittersweet ‘compassion’ is far too late, and far too forgiving to be true! _ ”

Raising an arm as if preparing to strike, the Ink demon grinned menacingly at him; before anything happened however, a small black figure flung past Henry’s shoulder only to get caught by the demon’s hand. 

Slowly, he held up a struggling Edgar who was glaring at him

“Enough of this banter! You do not deserve compassion if you refuse to let go of your self pity and hatred, you  _ monster! _ ”

Mouth twitching a bit, the Ink demon snarls

“ _ It seems your opportunity for humoring me with talk has passed… shall we resume, then? _ ”

Grimacing, Henry glances to Allison and Bendy; Allison looked concerned for Edgar, while Bendy looked like he was on the verge of unleashing some choice curse words. Turning back to the Ink demon, Henry shrugs a bit

“Honestly, I’d  _ really _ rather not…”

The Ink demon let out a cackle, throwing his head back before slamming Edgar into the wall behind the others and snarling again

“ _ Too bad. _ ”

Henry wondered how the others were doing outside of the room, as things were currently going very poorly inside. 

Grunting loudly as the Ink demon suddenly slams him backwards after the striker, Henry was caught by Allison, but the force threw both of them into the wall. Turning to them, Bendy holds out his hands

“What do we do now?! We tried talkin’ an’ he didn’t buy it!”

“I’m not giving up that easy; there has to be a way to make him listen-“

Henry’s words were cut off as the demon’s tail wraps around his throat, making the old artist choke as he’s suddenly lifted away into the air. Allison scrambles to her feet, shouting in unison with Bendy;

“HENRY, NO!”

Lunging, Allison swung her sword through the Ink demon’s tail, but it slides clean through with no effect 

“ _ Damn it! _ Henry, hang on!”

Struggling and choking, Henry knew that this was likely going to be the end for them- but one thing kept nagging him. The Ink demon had plenty opportunity, time and time again to kill them without hesitation... yet he never took it. Why wasn’t he just outright killing them? Why wasn’t he finishing him off right now?

Starting to black out yet again like he had from being slammed through the metal wall, Henry desperately was trying to hold on to consciousness; if he fell unconscious, it very well could be the end for them all. Suddenly, the demon’s tail lifted him up and whipped him down onto the floor painfully. Gasping for breath, Henry let out a yell of pain feeling his old injuries flaring up alongside the new ones; it was pure agony. Nearby, he heard Bendy yell;

“HEY! YA SICK BASTARD, BEATIN’ UP OLD MEN- WHY DON’TCHA FIGHT SOMEONE YER OWN SIZE, PUNK!”

Snickering, the Ink demon slashes the air to keep Edgar at bay who had swung by him

“ _ My size? You hardly compare to the size of a young child! _ ”

Despite his pain, Henry looked to Bendy, seeing him bristle from the other demon’s words

“WHAT?! WHY I OUGHTA-“

As Bendy took a running start for the Ink demon, Henry wheezes trying to croak out in his pain

“Bendy-  _ no! _ ”

Unfortunately, his words were lost as he struggled to recover from being strangled. With a leap, Bendy flew up into the Ink demon’s face before making a yanking motion with his hands. To Henry’s surprise, the inky ‘blood’ that had come from the Ink demon’s mouth raised up after Bendy, slamming into the other demon forcing him to stumble backwards. Of course- without ink in the room, Bendy had to be resourceful, and the clever demon had figured something out.

Groaning in pain, Henry looks up as Allison came running to him

“Henry! Are you okay?! I mean, obviously not, but can you move??”

Wheezing again, Henry struggled to get up while Allison helped him; unfortunately, he only managed to sit up with his back leaning on the wall.

“Hurts too much… can’t fight-“

On the other side of the room, the Ink demon was angrily fighting hand to hand with Bendy who had used the ink to extend his arms into giant clawed hands that surpassed even the other demon’s. For height, he was using the ink as a mobile pillar that held him up; currently, they were closely matched with neither getting an advantage.

As the Ink demon’s tail prepared to tip that balance with a surprise attack, Henry watched over Allison’s shoulder as Edgar called out;

“BENDY, LOOK OUT!”

Startled, the smaller demon turns his attention to Edgar instead

“Huh?!”

Within a flash, Edgar had swung and taken the force from the Ink demon’s tail instead. Slamming to the wall with a loud yell of pain, Edgar fell to the floor with another devastating impact that left Henry feeling cold with fear. Crying out then, Bendy sounded almost pained;

“EDGAR!!”

Cackling with glee, the Ink demon wraps his tail around Edgar’s torso, raising the limp striker before Bendy tauntingly 

“ _ What’s the matter? Upset your little friend got /hurt/? Awww… _ ”

Looking like he was on the verge of tears, Bendy shouts with heated anger that concerned Henry coming from the little demon

“LET HIM GO, YA BASTARD!”

Laughing once more at Bendy’s plight, the Ink demon waved the groaning striker before him

“ _ Oh? You mean this little guy?... _ ”

With a blur of movement, Henry heard a sickening slam as the Ink demon’s tail flung Edgar into the floor. Bendy practically screamed in response only for the Ink demon to slam Edgar into several more surfaces before throwing him back into the original wall. Falling to the floor, the striker lay motionless, ink pooling from him onto the floor now. All over the room, Henry realized in horror that there were inky impact marks in each spot Edgar had hit.

Crying out in her own horror, Allison went running for Edgar leaving Henry to sit and watch as Bendy turned to the Ink demon. Mouth quivering, Bendy closed his eyes tightly before he reopened them, no longer having his usual pie-cut eyes. Instead, he had a wildly angry expression Henry knew was the result of being pushed too far…

“You… I’ll  _ KILL  _ YOU!!”

Yelling so loudly it nearly matched the roar of the Ink demon, Bendy throws himself forward with such force he smashes the Ink demon right through the throne. Flinching, Henry struggled to stand now, trying to ignore the burning agony all over his body. His head was throbbing so badly he felt as if he might just pass out from moving at all. However, he had to do something as the two demon’s locked into a horrific battle

“ _ You idiotic fool, you can /never/ kill me! Not so long as you are me, and I am YOU! _ ”

“NOOOO! I’M! NOT! YOUUU!”

Lifting and slamming the Ink demon by his leg into the floor a few times, Bendy raised two fists preparing to strike when Henry yells

“BENDY! NO!”

Stopping, Bendy’s wild expression turned to stare at Henry in disbelief. Taking advantage of the pause in action unfortunately, the Ink demon raises an arm causing the ink Bendy had been controlling to hold him in place instead.

“ _ You seem to have forgotten… my control of the ink FAR surpasses yours! _ ”

With a yanking motion, the ink drags Bendy up to him before the Ink demon slashes over the smaller one without hesitation. As the little demon shrieks with pain, Henry suddenly found his voice again, shouting in horror 

“NOOOOO!”

As Bendy doubled over in the Ink demon’s vice, Henry forced himself away from the wall only to fall to his knees. In his stead, Allison bolts towards the Ink demon raising her sword; however, the Ink quickly grabbed and slammed her to the wall, solidifying and pinning her there. Becoming limp from the impact, she hung with her head leaning forward, likely unconscious. Turning to Henry, the Ink demon pulled Bendy into his grasp now, raising up the struggling smaller demon who was getting weaker by the second.

“ _ You should have never tried to fight me… you never could have won! And now, for your hubris, they will /all/ die… starting with the /runt/ _ ”

Extending his other clawed hand, the Ink demon cackled as he prepared to slash Bendy again. Before he could act however, Henry forces himself to shout loudly as he can, his voice echoing off the metal walls

“ _ STOOOP! _ ”

Pausing, the Ink demon slowly turns his head to look down on Henry

“ _ Stop? Are you going to beg and plead again, like last time? I told you, you will never change my mind… _ ”

Breathing heavily, Henry looked up at him with desperation regardless

“You still stopped! You keep  _ hesitating! _ Is this  _ really  _ what you want?! You said yourself that Bendy can’t kill you because you’re one in the same- so how can you kill  _ him? _ If you were really trying to kill us, why haven’t you done so already?! Why?!”

Leaning down onto his free hand and one leg, the Ink demon crawled towards Henry before standing straight to tower over him again

“ _ Why?... You truly /are/ full of questions… I’ll tell you /why/. It would be too easy, and too painless to kill you right away! The moment needs to be just right, so you understand… _ ”

“But why?! I know they treated you like a monster, I know that they lied and used you, that they hid and locked you away- but is that really a reason to  _ kill? _ It’s not too late to change! It’s not too late to go back from this!”

Snarling, the Ink demon looked to Bendy in his grasp who was whimpering and struggling in pain before looking back down on Henry

“ _ Perhaps you may have your hope, but I’ve given up on holding hope a LONG time ago… those decades spent rotting in the dark erased any chance for my redemption! No more games; I’ve had ENOUGH! _ ”

Raising his clawed arm again, the Ink demon swung his arm towards Bendy with clear intent to kill. In the split moment as death raced for the small demon, Henry’s mind suddenly became blank with fear… and anger. 

Seconds before his claws could reach Bendy... the Ink demon’s hand sprayed with inky blood spattering the wall. 

Henry had impaled it with the glowing sword. 

The demon howls and drops Bendy to the floor, who was also yelling and holding his hand as well; confused, Henry quickly hurries to Bendy’s side 

“Bendy! What happened, why’re you holding your hand?!-”

Going silent, Henry stares at a glowing golden wound through Bendy’s same hand he’d stabbed on the Ink demon. As Henry was grasping at what had happened, the Ink demon slowly looked to his own hand where Henry had impaled it with the glowing sword.

“ _ You… you created a weapon that can hurt me?…  _ ”

Feeling conflicted, Henry slowly looks up at the Ink demon, staring at the identical wound he now shared with Bendy

“Only as a last resort if I had to… I-If you left me no choice, but...”

Holding his hand and backing away a bit, the Ink demon snarled with a smirk

“ _ You /really/ think you could bring yourself to do it? That’s how you were prepared to write your ending, Stein? Killing your own manufactured disgrace! But oh, it seems you’ve figured out the problem… you see, Bendy and I… we’re not so different, are we? _ ”

Holding the sword shakily, Henry stares into the demon’s twitching sharp grin

“I… I don’t understand! How is that possible, how-”

“ _ Have you been paying /any/ attention? There can only be /one/ Bendy! There only ever /was/ one Bendy! _ ”

The Ink demon’s earlier words rang loudly through his mind now, making Henry start to fog over and feel numb at his foolish actions...

“‘ _ you can /never/ kill me! Not so long as you are me, and I am YOU! _ ’”

Bendy hadn’t just come from the Ink demon… he  _ /was/ _ the Ink demon; a separate half of him. Two parts of a whole that had been separated so long ago when Henry had left…

“No… that means if I hurt or kill you...”

“ _ Bendy will die too! You were never set up for anything but failure; there’s so much you still don’t know, but it’s a shame… you’ll never get the chance to HEAR IT! _ ”

Lunging for Henry then, the Ink demon’s claws extended while his mouth opened wide with full intention to catch and maul him. Closing his eyes tightly, Henry yelled as he prepared himself for the worst while swinging the glowing sword upward with as much force as he could. Feeling as if time had slowed and frozen itself, Henry couldn’t hear or feel anything; everything was dark.

Opening his eyes, Henry realizes a waterfall of ink had showered over him from a glowing golden gash he’d slashed over the Ink demon’s torso. Then, a horrible harmony of agony rang out through the throne room as the Ink demon shrieked with pain combined with a scream from Bendy.

As if the world had sped back up, Henry inhaled sharply with cold horror fully realizing the horrible reality of what he’d done. Not only was the Ink demon writhing on the floor trying to hold his wound, Bendy had an equal golden gash over his torso doing the same. In a bid to protect himself, he’d only hurt both of them horribly and now he began to wonder if he should have let himself die instead.

Feeling his hands start to shake a bit, Henry drops the weapon before running to Bendy’s side, picking up the small demon who was struggling to breathe

“Bendy- Bendy! I’m so sorry, I didn’t- I didn’t mean to,  _ oh my god _ , what have I  _ done? _ Bendy, please, don’t let go- just hang on, you’ll be okay, don’t let go… what have I  _ done? _ ”

Holding the small demon close to his chest now, Henry turned to see the struggling Ink demon trying to move, but he could only groan in pain and clutch at his chest. The quiet whimpering of the small demon made Henry’s heart ache heavily; how could he have let this happen? How could he not have considered what he was doing? Why did he have to use the sword?

Suddenly, the sealed metal shutters all slid open one after another, the main door to the throne room shrieking as it opened. Bolting into the room, the others came running to help; both groups had survived and regrouped.

Staring and watching as they started to help Allison and Edgar, Henry turned his attention to the little demon in his arms, shaking still as he held him.

“Bendy… Bendy, help’s here, okay? Just hold on, okay?... Don’t you give up on me…”

Groaning, the little demon slowly opens his eyes to look up at Henry, forcing a bit of a smile for him

“H-Hey, dad… did ya do it?… D-did ya stop ‘im?…”

“Shh… It’s not over yet, but it’ll be okay; just hold on…”

Flinching as Alice angel touches his shoulder, Henry looks to her as she gave him a worried expression while looking down on Bendy.

“Henry… let me hold him. I can help.”

Frowning, Henry felt every part of him wanting to do anything but let go; but, if he didn’t, it was likely Bendy would bleed out in his arms. Slowly and reluctantly loosening his grasp, Henry blinked as tears started rolling down his face

“P-please… help him…”

Nodding, Alice gently takes Bendy from him

“I will. Promise. I’ll keep him safe.”

Watching Alice Angel quietly sing to Bendy as the rings on her palms glowed, she gently started to mend the little Demon who began to fuss

“N-no! If ya heal me, it’ll heal the demon!...”

Frowning, Henry glances to the Ink demon who was now in the corner keeping a guarded stance- but his injuries left him in no state to fight. Norman and Boris were standing in his way of escape, Boris now holding the sword Henry had dropped that wounded him in the first place. Turning his attention back to Bendy, Henry crawled closer to where Alice was sitting with him

“D-doesn’t matter… just let her help you. We’ll deal with him regardless, okay? We’ll figure it out-”

“We’re barely alive ‘cause we tried figurin’ it out! Henry, give it a break; ya have ta face the facts… the only way ta stop him is killin’ me-”

“NO!”

Henry had shouted so loud and suddenly that many heads turned to look at him. Shakily holding his hands out, Henry gently held Bendy’s now.

“I-I can’t… I can’t just let you die. I made a promise… To you and myself; I wasn’t going to let you down again.”

Slowly, Alice returned to her song and began to heal Bendy who had tears in his eyes like Henry, both silent now. Feeling a different hand on his other shoulder, Henry turned to see Sammy looking down on him with concern

“Henry… what the hell  _ happened _ in here? Are you okay??”

“I-I’m fine… focus on the others; they’re hurt worse than me. I made a mistake… a  _ lot _ of mistakes. But now, I need to fix them… Sammy, you have to help me over to the Ink demon.”

Scoffing, the music director looks at him with disbelief

“Have you lost your mind?! He’ll kill you the moment you get close! You’re already on death’s door, you may as well be handing him the axe and leaning your head forward!”

Frowning, Henry gives him a determined look

“I-I need to talk to him… please. Just… trust me.”

Shaking his head, Sammy sighs before looking Henry in the eye

“...Fine. Just… be careful, okay? I swear, you’ve lost your mind...”

Ignoring Sammy’s words, Henry grunts in pain as the music director struggled to help him up; the adrenaline rush from nearly dying at the Ink demon’s hands was starting to wear off, meaning Henry soon wouldn’t be able to move at all. Making their way slowly but surely, Norman and Boris gave him unsure looks; Sammy paused by them then, holding up Henry

“This is close enough.”

“No. Let me go.”

“Henry, i’m not going to let you just-”

“Let me  _ go! _ ”

Sammy huffs before holding him more firmly

“I’m not going to let you throw yourself at the Ink demon’s mercy!”

Looking to Boris and Norman, he could tell they were in agreement. Feeling frustrated, Henry sighed loudly

“Then at least set me down.”

Sighing himself now, Sammy lowered Henry so he could sit, but was still holding him in place. Had Henry had his full strength, he would’ve been able to easily break free- but that was far from the truth now. Looking at the defensive Ink demon who was still clearly in pain and holding his bleeding wounds, Henry frowns

“...You wanted to kill me so badly… but you didn’t, even when you had more than enough chances. Are you conflicted?”

Snarling, the Ink demon looks away saying nothing, so Henry continues

“I… I shouldn’t have used the sword- but I couldn’t just let you kill them. I would do anything to protect them…”

Sneering, the Ink demon speaks quietly then

“ _ Protect them, or protect /Bendy/? Don’t lie to yourself… you’d only sacrifice your life for that pathetic little demon. _ ”

Closing his eyes, Henry shakes his head before looking back to the Ink demon

“No… I’d lay down my life for all of them. I care about  _ all  _ of them.”

The Ink demon chuckles humorlessly

“ _ Clearly your compassion is spread too thin if you cannot spare any for me… I told you your words were too kind to be true; you would have readily killed me if it meant setting yourself free! _ ”

“No, I- I didn’t-...”

Looking down, Henry felt like the conflicted one now as Sammy kneeled by him, speaking to the Ink demon

“Henry was ready to kill you against his own will to free  _ /us/ _ . He never once said anything about freeing himself at anypoint- only ‘us’, ‘we’, and ‘together’. If anything, you should be grateful how much empathy and compassion he’s spared for your sorry existence at all!”

Looking to Sammy now, the Ink demon snarls

“ _ A sorry existence he helped to create! There is no sympathy for me, and there shall be none for /any/ of you from me _ ”

Wanting to argue, Henry tried to find the words, but the Ink demon cut off his thoughts with dark laughter; Henry realizes that his wounds were closing, and his strength returning. Sammy pulls Henry back to his feet then, scrambling them both behind Norman and Boris who protectively block them from the demon. Holding out his arms to Boris, Henry calls out

“Don’t! If you use that on him, it’ll hurt Bendy; they’re connected more than we thought!”

Boris and the other two stare at Henry, Sammy sputtering

“W-what are you talking about connected more than we thought?! They were already  _ very  _ connected, they might as well be conjoined twins at this rate!”

“They’re halves; Somehow, at some point, the original Ink demon split into two… I don’t know how or why, but they’re  _ literally _ the same being as far as I can tell!”

As the others stared silently at him in surprise, the Ink demon chuckled disturbingly again having fully recovered; at the very least, it meant Bendy was alright. Instead of attacking them immediately however, the Ink demon simply looked up at the projector screens, standing still. 

Slowly, Henry looks up as do the others…

The projector screens had all turned black. 

Then, flickering a bit, Henry could barely make out a silhouette on the screens as a voice he knew far too well spoke; a voice he wished to never hear again, and found cold resent for.

“Well Henry, it seems you’ve  _ finally _ figured  _ something _ out… How many tries did it take, hm? To try something new for a change?”

Grimacing, Henry steps forward away from Sammy’s grasp towards the projectors

“Joey?…”

“That’s right, Henry! I think it’s about time I let you have a little insight to what’s been going on… I’ve been here this  _ entire _ time.”

“You… you knew. You knew  _ everything _ . You’ve been watching  _ everything… _ ”

“Well, maybe not  _ everything _ … but, I  _ have _ been pulling some strings! You see, I’ve been the one calling the  _ real _ shots for ages now...”

Moving past Henry, Sammy shouts up at the projector screens angrily

“I don’t believe you! There’s no way you could have possibly orchestrated  _ all _ of this!”

Henry frowns, looking to Sammy

“...but there is. The drawings on his desk…”

“Right again, Henry! It’s amazing what you can do with a pencil and a dream... or, in this case, copious amounts of ink and a magic script that comes to life when written! You see, I finally found a way to bring our stories to  _ life _ …”

“...by using us as your characters, and making your own world?! it all makes sense now... the ending never really ending because it would always flip back to the start...”

“Much like a good cartoon, it’s convenient how you can rewind those little reels and press play again!”

As if everything had been turned upside down, Henry held his head feeling dizzy and quite ready to collapse; Sammy caught him quickly thankfully before shouting again

“How could you have influenced us without us knowing?!”

“Oh, my dear misguided music director… It’s quite easy to lead others to believe in something that’s not true when they’re disillusioned. Afterall, if you recall, certain voices telling you about your ‘savior’ Bendy weren’t what you thought…”

“The… the voices I heard… it was never the Ink demon? It was  _ you?! _ ”

Shivering with dread and anger, Sammy slowly released Henry who had to stumble away still ready to collapse, this time being caught by Boris who whines. Susie steps forward then, looking up at the screens

“What about the rest of us?! What about  _ me?! _ What did you DO to us!”

“No need to get so upset, my dear; A lot of it was just me pushing you in the right direction! Many of you had already lost your sanity due to the tricky nature of dark magic in the ink…”

“You turned us all into MONSTERS!”

“Oh, it’s much more than that! But, magic  _ is _ tricky business, as Henry learned i’m sure… things didn’t turn out as, well,  _ intended _ .”

Looking to the Ink demon then, Henry realizes he was patiently standing there while smiling and staying quiet. Eyes widening, he had another realization...

“...You had control over him this whole time, didn’t you?”

“Who, Bendy? Of course I did! I bloody created him, for God’s sake!”

Glaring a bit now, Henry scoffs

“The twisted ink machine copy, maybe… I’m the one who  _ actually _ created him!”

Henry could hear Joey huff with amusement at that

“ _ Now _ you want to take credit? You spent so many years denying it to the press…”

Looking to the Ink demon again, Henry frowns. Despite Joey’s spiteful words, something else was nagging him...

“He never killed me. He never  _ could _ kill me, could he? nothing could. I always came back… You didn’t want me to die, did you?”

“Well Henry, if you died, what good would that be for my story? Besides; you and I have so much unfinished business, it would be a waste…”

Staring at the grinning Ink demon, Henry felt as if everything both made sense yet none at all. He couldn’t die because Joey wouldn’t let him, and the Ink demon couldn’t kill him for the same reason. Henry wondered what may have happened if Joey hadn’t had control over the demon…

Henry flinches then as Tom growls loudly from nearby, Holding Allison who was slowly beginning to wake up. Norman angrily speaks as he was trying to comfort his exasperated boyfriend

“You connivin’ lyin’ two-faced evil BASTARD! How long have ya kept us here, playin’ with us like toys for your sick game?! Bein’ puppets for you to pit against one another willy nilly for yer sick delight?!”

“Oh, time is rather difficult to keep track of in these places… who knows how long its been? But, I can tell you one thing- it’s  _ time _ that I ended this fine mess. Bendy, round them up; separate them from Henry.”

Frowning, Henry looks away from the screens to see the Ink demon had snuck right up behind Norman and Sammy. Before he can shout, the two are grabbed and lifted by the Ink demon, struggling; then, he throws them at the others who were gathered up on the other side of the room. Struggling with Boris to try and move that way, Henry flinches as the Ink demon’s tail wraps around his torso, yanking him away from Boris entirely. Howling, Boris reaches out for him only to get slammed over to the others as well making Henry cry out

“BORIS, NO!”

Within moments, the Ink demon had battered and corralled everyone together and away from Henry before Ink broke through the ceiling, creating a waterfall barrier much like the earlier one they couldn’t pass through. The others were shouting and cursing now as Henry struggled in the Ink demon’s tail, starting to be lifted and moved over to the broken throne as Joey spoke once more

“This has gone on long enough. I think it’s about time to clean up and start over, don’t you? You’ve certainly given me ideas for next time though, I can assure you that! You’re quite clever and crafty...”

Struggling still, Henry glares up at the projector screens feeling a lot like Bendy in the following moment as he yelled

“Why don’t you show yourself in person, you coward?! If you think i’ll let you do anything without a fight, you’re  _ wrong! _ ”

With a noise that sounded like a step forward, Joey came into view on the projector screens. He wasn’t as old like he was at the end of each rewind typically, as now he looked much like he did back when Henry was part of the studio; Tall and lean, pale blonde slicked back hair that was peppered from age including a pencil mustache and small scruff of barely a beard on his chin. Despite his best efforts however, Joey always managed to be unable to keep a small fringe of his hair from falling over his forehead. Henry realizes with a start that though Joey was sepia colored like the rest of them… his eyes were still  _ blue _ .

“Always so determined, Henry. I admire that about you… but at the same time, it made you difficult sometimes, and rather unbearable at others.”

“I could say the same about you.”

Chuckling a bit, Joey sighs before his expression immediately became stern and cold, devoid of any previous ‘humor’ or warmth; he was rather good at faking emotions.

“Make him play the reel.”

Looking up at the screen, the Ink demon growled before picking up the reel that said ‘the end’ on it from the rubble of the throne. Now looking at Henry, he sneers

“ _ Ready to reset and lose everything you’ve worked so hard to achieve? _ ”

Struggling, Henry grimaces

“No! You can’t make me! I won’t let you!”

Joey gave a rather humorless laugh that reminded Henry of the Ink demon

“But Henry, don’t you understand?... you don’t have a choice! You  _ never _ did. Don’t you remember a little something about your friend Susie?... a little something about her  _ soul? _ ”

Staring, Henry felt cold. He slowly looked to his friends who were trying desperately to be heard, but the barrier kept them silent. His eyes locked with Bendy’s, who seemed as upset as Henry felt. Looking back to the projection screens, Henry answers;

“The soul piece… she was missing a piece of her soul.”

“That’s right! How tragically careless, losing a bit of your soul! But oh… what if it wasn’t  _ lost? _ What if it was….  _ taken? _ ”

Frozen, Henry gawks a bit trying to find words

“You… you…”

“I  _ took  _ it. And not  _ just  _ hers…”

Joey’s eyes gleamed then, looking almost more blue somehow before he pulled a glowing locket-esque chain from inside his vest. The object on the end of it was glowing so bright Henry couldn’t see its outline; it looked like a ball of pure light.

“This, you see, contains a little bit from  _ everyone _ … the price you all paid for your current deathless deal, and for me to be able to  _ control _ you.”

Clutching his chest, Henry felt as if he’d been violated at his very core. The idea of missing a piece of his soul because Joey stole it made him feel... indescribably disturbed and upset. Joey waves the glowing light on the chain then, looking at it with admiration

“You see, Henry, you have to play the reel because I say so… now; Take it, and play it like the good little ‘protagonist’ of this story you are, won’t you?...”

Struggling, Henry felt stiff as he suddenly loses control of his own arms that take the reel from the Ink demon. Glancing over his shoulder, Henry could see everyone fighting to try and get through the barrier... except Bendy, who simply had his eyes locked with Henry’s still somehow. Grimacing, Henry looks back to the reel, struggling to try and not play it

“N-No! I won’t- I won’t!”

Watching Henry resist, Joey smirked a bit as the Ink demon sets the reel player directly in front of him now.

“You can’t escape your fate, Henry… it's been written for you already, and nothing erases ink! Play. the. REEL!”

Feeling his arms being pulled towards the player, Henry shuts his eyes tightly, his own mind reeling in the moment rather ironically. If he played the reel now, everything they’d done would be in vain, and all of their bonds would be erased. 

Susie would go back to being bitter and miserable about who she was, her butcher gang hostile and no longer bonded with Bendy, Boris, and Alice. Tom and Allison would forget who they were yet again, and Henry too; not to mention the reparations between Susie and Allison. Sammy would revert back to being obsessed with false beliefs and blind faith for the Ink demon, having a loathing for everyone. Norman would lose his voice and memories, as well as coming to terms with Susie over what happened. Norman and Sammy both would lose the love they had found together...

Then, Henry realizes, he would lose so much himself. He’d forget what he learned about all of them and this place. He’d forget about Joey- about his friends, and even more about himself. 

And, he’d lose Bendy.

Feeling powerless, Henry almost decides on giving up as the strain on his arms was becoming a burning pain... then, he thinks about everything they’d accomplished.

So many friends had been reunited. Bonds mended, and made. They’d all fought so hard… and they all wanted to be free. Henry had to help set them free. 

Clenching his teeth then, Henry yelled loudly startling both Joey and the Ink demon. Taking their surprise to his advantage, he breaks free from Joey’s influence just long enough to yank the reel away from the player. Raising it up, Henry sees Joey’s eyes widen as he shouts;

“NO! STOP HIM, DON’T LET HIM BREAK-”

With a resounding smash, shards of plastic and tape go flying in every direction around Henry, some of the debris even cutting his arms. Breathing heavily, Henry slowly looks up into the Ink demon’s startled face before looking to Joey

“...you might have magic and strings, but I have something stronger… I have willpower. I have  _ hope _ .”

Glaring, Joey’s voice became so hostile Henry felt it could almost cut him like a knife 

“WHAT HAVE YOU  _ DONE?! _ DO YOU REALIZE WHAT THIS MEANS?! A STORY WITH NO ENDING!”

The entire world around them shook violently, knocking Henry over and jumbling everyone and everything- including Joey. Struggling back to his feet, Henry looks up to see Joey pinching his brow before he angrily growls

“You FOOL! You’ve not only condemned everyone to be trapped to this ONE iteration, but you’ve made the whole damned thing  _ unstable! _ If anything goes wrong, it’ll be PERMANENT! You’ve just damned us all by erasing the ending!”

Henry glares back, pushing away all of his pain and fatigue best he could as he stands tall

“No, Joey- I’ve only erased  _ your _ ending. You might have your pencil, but I have a pen. I’m making my  _ own _ ending this time, one that’ll far outlast anything you can think of. All of us will write it together, and you can’t stop us; i’m not letting you control me or  _ any  _ of them anymore.”

“No? Then pray tell, Stein, how you intend to do that when I’m still able to use your own  _ souls _ against you!”

Troubled, Henry looks down for a moment before meeting Joey’s gaze through the projector screen again

“I’ll find a way. After all, what’s a good story without a few unexpected twists?”

Sneering, Joey squints at him

“You’re right. What we all could use now is a good twist… Bendy?”

The Ink demon looks up to the screens, staring silently

“Kill them. All of them except Henry- and obviously your other half.”

Whipping his head around to grin menacingly at Henry, the Ink demon extends his claws further than before, which was rather overkill to say the least.

“You see now, Henry,  _ this _ is what you get when you try to take over… unfortunately, it just won’t go the way you want it to! Nothing ever goes as planned! We’ll see how far your ‘ending’ takes you, granted you haven’t killed us all already by making this entire damn dimension unstable…”

Sneering, Joey’s face disappears from each projector screen as they all flicker out and shut off. Looking to the Ink demon, Henry frowns

“Please… you don’t have to do this. You don’t have to listen to-”

“ _ Oh, I’ve been wanting to kill them /regardless/ of what he says. Your pleas will do nothing! _ ”

Whatever Joey meant about instability, Henry wasn’t quite sure; either way, he was more focused on the bigger immediate threat before him. 

Both he and the Ink demon stood in silence for a moment before the ink demon raised one hand, snapping his claws with a click causing the field keeping everyone away to vanish. Grin spreading wider and disturbingly, the Ink demon sounded rather gleeful as he spoke...

“ _ Now then… why don’t we let the /real/ fun begin? _ ”


	40. Around Once Again, Or a New Level?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fearing the worst, Henry needs to distract the demon long enough for the others to come up with an escape plan. When he's knocked to the floor too hard, a vision comes to him with a possible answer for the demon's repeated lack of listening... before he can reach him however, Bendy helps them in a daring escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: violence, fighting, injury mention
> 
> Note: one drawing this time for chapter 41; things are getting pretty messy! I'm still trying to update regularly when I can, thanks for the patience!

* * *

The entire room began to rumble once more, making Henry stumble and fall over a lot harder this time; afterall, he hadn’t had his own wounds tended to and he was worn out. What did the Ink demon mean by ‘real’ fun?

He hears Susie shout then in fear;

“OH GOD, THEY’RE COMING BACK!”

Confused, Henry looked around wildly before seeing the cause of her reaction- a flood of butcher gang clones had been unleashed upon them, flooding from cracks the previous rumbling had made in the walls. Disturbingly, these copies were far worse than any previous ones he’d seen before as they were even more defective and twisted like they’d been made too fast. 

The nearest Piper had three eyes (one on the side of its half melted jaw that was dripping) and teeth all over its head. Hissing at him, Henry flinched holding up his arms defensively; however, the Ink demon whipped it away from him

“ _ Leave the artist and little demon alone. Kill the rest! _ ”

Having stopped in their tracks, the butcher gang clones hissed before turning their attention back towards the rest of the group. Frowning, Henry tried to get up, but his shoulder felt as if the wound had renewed itself where the Ink demon had viciously dug his claws long ago. The burning, bleeding pain made Henry nearly yell as he slumped back to the floor, clutching it with clenched teeth.

Trying to regain himself, Henry heard skittering footsteps as someone came running up to him; it was Bendy, who was now fretting over him.

“Henry, what do we  _ do?! _ Everyone’s gettin’ surrounded, an’ a lotta us aren’t in fightin’ condition! Edgar an’ Allison especially- Hey, what’s wrong with yer arm?? Henry, are ya hurt??”

Grimacing, Henry closes his eyes tightly for a moment

“No- I mean, I don’t know. Old wound hurts bad, new ones aren’t great, but I’m fine. Do you think we can get them out?”

Glancing around a bit, Bendy frowns

“No way, they’re surrounded bad! We’d need a miracle to get ‘em outta here!”

“Ink.”

“What??”

“We need ink; lots of it. Flood them out- augh!... get us out…”

“Henry?!”

“I’m fine; just landed badly… Bendy, find a way to get ink in here!”

Looking uncertain, the demon hesitated before scurrying back towards the group, having to fight his way through butcher gang copies to do so. As the little demon left him, Henry tried to catch his breath and slow down his racing heart. 

Slowly, however, he realizes the heart beat wasn’t  _ his _ … Looking up, Henry frowns at the Ink demon looming over him

“ _ It’s funny how you think you’ll be able to escape this… any of you, that is. Seeing you defenseless and injured like this tempts me, but I suppose orders are orders… I just hope you watch as I tear /them/ apart _ ”

Turning from Henry, the Ink demon roared so loud it made Henry cover his ears and shut his eyes; Opening them again, he noticed the Ink demon about to leap, reacting by grabbing the end of the demon’s tail at the last second. Immediately, he regretted it as the Ink demon’s tail flung him far too fast right into the others bowling them over.

“AUGH! I’ve REALLY gotta stop getting thrown around!”

Snarling, the Ink demon looked over the group who were busy fighting butcher gang copies while trying to select who to attack it seemed. As his attention locked onto Susie, Henry quickly forced himself up with his not-as-painful arm before clinging to her causing her to shout

“HEY- HENRY! GET OFF OF ME-”

Sneering, the demon hisses

“ _ Very clever, Stein! Trying to shield them because I can’t kill you? I hope you realize Joey didn’t say anything about /maiming/! _ ”

Susie uses her tommy gun to shoot away several butcher gang copies before elbowing at Henry a bit

“I am NOT letting you get turned to shreds for me!”

Not moving, Henry glares at the Ink demon

“I don’t care, I’m not letting him just kill you guys-”

“LOOK OUT!”

Norman suddenly tackles both of them as the Ink demon’s claws slam into the floor where they’d been standing, the demon struggling to pull them free. Scoffing, Norman gets up punching a striker so hard its head goes flying

“There’s NO time for you guys to be foolin’ around! Focus an’ keep yourselves ALIVE, will ya?!”

Susie grunts, shoving Henry off of her a bit before getting up

“Mister martyr here is the one who needs to be told that!”

“Where’s Bendy?”

“Wha- Are you even listening to us, Henry?! Stop trying to sacrifice-”

“Where did Bendy go??”

Staring, Susie huffs before shooting several fishers away from Boris

“I don’t know! He was talking with Tom and Barley last I saw!”

Before he can get up, Henry feels the Ink demon’s tail wrap around him once more; with a whipping motion, he’s sent flying (yet again) across the room. Hitting the opposite wall, Henry grunts before falling to the floor and laying in a blurry daze. Everything sounded distant and muted now, and he couldn’t make out what was happening. Slowly, he felt his mind drifting away…

-

_ “The Hell is wrong with all of you?! Just because he doesn’t look right doesn’t mean he’s evil. He was just born! He doesn’t even know what the Hell is going on! Do you think he even asked to be made like this?! Back off!” _

Henry found himself standing still and silently on the wood floor in one of the halls, watching the scene play out before himself. Tom was holding out his arms, defending the Ink demon. It slowly dissolved however, fading into one he’d seen first hand…

_ ‘Let me go! Stop pulling me! Let me free! Let go! Let go! Let… GO!” _

The Ink demon was being pulled towards the ink by hundreds of inky hands holding him back, but his shout threw them off. Freed, he stumbled forward right before Henry on his hands and knees. Breathing heavily, he slowly looked up at Henry, his grin twitching into a frown. Around them, the scene dissolved again until Henry was now standing in the flooded halls of the inky abyss, the Ink demon within the giant jar.

_ “No! NO!! YOU CAN’T CONTAIN ME! YOU CANNOT STOP ME!!” _

Still standing silently, Henry found he couldn’t do anything but watch as everything played out before him. Everything grew darker until the Jar dissolved, the Ink demon now weakly banging against the door leading out of the throne room that was sealed.

“ _ I-I’m not evil!... I can still be /good/… I just wanted to be good! Please… I don’t want to be alone… I don’t want to be alone… _ ”

Why was he seeing all of this? Why was he picturing all of these things with the Ink demon? He could barely understand… 

Voices were flooding into his mind now, the wave of whispering that Henry so often heard in the studio. This time, however, he could  _ hear _ what they were saying- he could hear  _ who _ was saying it. It was… them.  _ All  _ of them, starting with the Ink demon.

_ “...You can’t just have a happy ending! He should HATE you! Hate ME! Why’re you forgiving him, and forgiving ME?! It’s all fake; it’s all lies! There’s no such thing as happiness! No such thing as forgiveness! There is. No. HOPE!...” _

_ “...How DARE you compare me to my tormentor! I am no product meant to be him… I am a product of YOU! If anything… I am the part of you that YOU deny! I’m nothing like him!...” _

_ “...You will never leave this place… you will never escape. I’ll be sure to keep you trapped in this eternal hell as long as I have to be in it too....” _

_ “...You can cry your regrets all you want, but it changes nothing! It doesn’t change what happened to /me/!...” _

_ “...After everything… all of the pain, fear, and suffering… you still… are somehow so naive, that you would be willing to help your worst enemy! You are a FOOL! A COWARD! I WON’T BE SWAYED BY YOUR LIES! NOBODY COULD EVER LOVE /ME/!...” _

_ “...You took everything from me, and damned me to this eternal HELL! You will NEVER find ANY mercy from me! Everything and everyone you love will suffer forever because of you, as long as you persist in MY DOMAIN!...” _

Slowly then, Henry started to hear everyone else’s voices chime in; it was as if the very walls of the studio had absorbed and were emitting the words spoken within them, an echo chamber of everything that happened

_ “...As fer the Ink demon out there… well, he’s all bad stuff. He’s angry, vengeful, bitter, spiteful, sad, unwilling to change, and all the things that make him him. When yer full of a lotta toxic feelin’s, you tend to look toxic… thus why he’s so ugly and i’m good...” _

_ “You remind me of him. Hurt, angry, bitter, unwilling to let go… reluctant to admit when you’re wrong.” _

_ “Tom, I didn’t hire you to make friends with abominations your machine spits out... Might I remind you I wanted living attractions? There is nothing attractive about that foul beast.” _

_ “Hate ta break it to ya buddy, but there are hundreds of other you’s ‘cause yer a striker. But there’s only one me! An’ the Ink demon doesn’t count ‘cause he ain’t me. He’s just an abomination.” _

_ “I’m sorry, but you can’t leave… you know what would happen.” _

Frowning, Henry pondered all the many negative things that had been said about the Ink demon; it was a wonder he was so upset and angry with them all the time. If this was what he’d been hearing in a chorus all the time, it’d make Henry feel horrible too. What really baffled him however was all the positive things that were left unsaid… Henry was sure he’d said some good things- why wasn’t he hearing those? Focusing with difficulty now, he tried to muster the memories…

_ “Hey now, it’s not your fault. None of this is. In fact, it’s not even the Ink demon’s fault either; it’s Joey’s…” _

_ “...Bendy, I’d never abandon you on purpose. Even if you were the Ink demon, I’d never want to hurt you… I made you with love and care, and want to make sure that’s all you feel when we’re out of here. I’m sorry I left… I didn’t know...” _

_ “There is hope. There is always hope. All you have to do… is let go of the past. Let go of vengeance. Then you can find your hope.” _

_ “I can’t change what happened to you… and I can’t change you either. But that doesn’t mean nothing can change. I can still give you what you always deserved, what Joey never could…” _

_ “... I can give you love. And not just for who or what you were meant to be… but for who you are. You’re not just a monster, or some mistake. You’re alive. And that means you deserve the same decency as anyone. I helped create you, and i’m more than ready to make things right. All you have to do… is let me help you. Let me give you hope.” _

Furrowing his brow in the dark, Henry now watched the Ink demon silently pressed to the door of the throne room as one whisper became clear to him so suddenly it made it all make sense;

_ “...Yeah, the Ink demon knows some of yer thoughts ‘n all… but he ain’t allowed to do anything about it. I told ya, it’s complicated” _

No matter what the Ink demon could hear, he wasn’t allowed to actively act on it. Joey had always kept him under his hand, controlling what he did, what he thought, and how he ‘should’ feel. Joey was feeding all the negativity to him somehow- the constant whispering was an impenetrable mental barrier for the Ink demon to avoid any reasoning Henry might offer. No matter what Henry said, his words would be twisted by Joey to manipulate the demon’s emotions.

Struggling now, Henry started trying to reach a hand out towards the demon who was laying against the door; he had to try. There had to be a reason Henry was hearing all of this now, as if someone was showing it to him, though he didn’t understand who. However, he at least has a small idea  _ why _ he was being shown. The closer his hand got to the Ink demon, the slower everything became before Henry felt the world around him dissolving…

-

Waking with a start, Henry looked around to find the fight was still going on; it seemed as if barely any time had passed at all. Sitting up with some struggle, Henry looked to the Ink demon who was trying to fight Tom and Allison at the same time, their weapons pushing back his claws.

Frowning, Henry slowly felt determined; he had to try something. He’d come so close to breaking through to the Ink demon before… maybe there was a chance. Maybe if he just kept pushing it would let him get past the whispers and manipulation. However, if it came to it, he had to at least try hard enough to stall the demon so they could escape. 

Taking a deep breath, Henry shouts as loudly as he can over the sound of battle

“BENDY!”

A bunch of the clones fumble a bit and turn to look at Henry as the Ink demon had also paused, his head twitching to the side as if he’d caught himself mid-turn to face him. Breathing heavily with pain, Henry shouts again;

“BENDY!”

Turning fully now, the Ink demon sneers at him

“ _ Crying out for your little friend? He’s not here! I’ll hunt him down soon enough, but- _ ”

“I’m not calling for him.”

Staring then, the Ink demon frowns before growling

“ _ I’m NOT Bendy- _ ”

“Yes, you  _ /are/ _ . You  _ /always/ _ have been! I realize you’ve been told otherwise your whole life, but you really  _ are  _ Bendy!”

Shocked into silence, the Ink demon stood balanced on his one leg amongst the crowd of butcher gang copies flooding past him to the fight. Snarling and shaking his head, the Ink demon starts turning away before Henry shouts making him pause once more

“How many lies has Joey told you?! How much did he have to say to convince you that you were unlovable? What did he say to make you think there’s no hope for you?”

Looking rather irritated now, the Ink demon bounds over to Henry before getting in his face baring sharp teeth that made Henry lean back and hold up his hands. The Ink demon hisses;

“ _ /Joey/ didn’t need to say /anything/. It was /you/ and everyone who convinced me, through your plentiful hateful words and actions! _ ”

Frowning, Henry remembered the whispers...

“...You’re right. We said and did hurtful things, and it wasn’t fair. You’re in pain... since the beginning, everyone judged you and treated you like a monster-”

the Ink demon huffs, cutting him off before leaning away from him, standing to full height while looming over him

“ _ I wasn’t ‘just’ judged… I was hated! Loathed and despised! Feared! Mistreated, misguided, and locked away! After many decades, I’ve learned it doesn’t matter what I do or say… all you’ve ever let me be is a demon, and now I gladly play the part since it’s all you’ve all ever given me… _ ”

Behind the Ink demon, Henry could see the others were struggling; where was Bendy?? How much time could he buy before the Ink demon became fed up? Frowning, Henry sighs softly

“Maybe you’re right; maybe that’s all you’ve ever been given… But it isn’t all bad! There were still good things that you can’t ignore! Tom cared about you, I care about you! It’s not too late; you can still get another chance, if you’ll just let me-”

“ _ Help? Hah! You’ve abandoned your promises before, to both me and Joey. I don’t trust someone like you… and if Tom really cared, he wouldn’t have broken his either. _ ”

“Is that what you  _ really _ believe? That I abandoned the studio? That I abandoned you? Or is that what Joey told you to think? I know you don’t like Joey, so why’re you believing his word and following  _ his _ ideals?”

Staring silently again, the Ink demon frowns. Henry was right about one thing at least; he loathed Joey as much as anyone, if not  _ more  _ so. Sneering, the Ink demon shakes his head huffing once more

“ _ What does it matter?! You left! You still broke promises! _ ”

“But do you know  _ why? _ Do you really know the truth of why I had to? Because there’s more to it than you think...”

“ _ You couldn’t handle the work, and simply wanted something different, like family- _ ”

“You’re wrong. That was part of it, sure, but I’ve always been able to ‘handle the work’, and I could’ve had a family if I’d worked something out. There’s a whole  _ different _ reason I left… a much more personal one.”

Clearly, Henry had captured the Ink demon’s attention now; he seemed almost curious, leaning in now. However, Joey’s voice cuts in loudly

“BEHIND YOU, YOU IDIOT!”

Flinching, the Ink demon turns to see Bendy standing in the center of the room, smirking; waving a hand, Bendy looks over his shoulder shouting

“HIT IT, BARLEY!”

With a distant click, the room began to shake, but this time for a very different reason; suddenly, Ink came rocketing out of the giant pipe in the center right down over Bendy. Snarling, the Ink demon turns to Henry

“ _ You distracted me with lies! _ ”

“I wasn’t lying! Ask Joey- he’ll avoid it and say i’m lying because he doesn’t want to admit what happened! He’s been hiding the truth!”

Scoffing, the Ink demon turns away from Henry 

“ _ I may not take Joey’s word, but I will not take yours either! You’re foolish to believe otherwise _ ”

Looking for Bendy in the pouring ink now, the Ink demon reached a hand towards it. He almost touched it before a giant inky fist flew out and punched him rather comically away from it. As the demon went flying, the ink flooded away from the drain now scooping up the mass quantities of butcher gang copies instead.

Within seconds, a horrible grotesque cacophony of angry garbled yelling filled the room as they were all being shoved back through the various cracks they’d come from, the ink resealing the walls to keep them out. Bendy sent the ink to also form a barrier over the open door, keeping reinforcements at bay. Then, the ink flooded away to drain at the center grate before Bendy stepped forward out of it, smiling.

Feeling relieved, Henry huffs a small laugh of disbelief

“How?...”

“While ol’ inkhead was busy fightin’ an’ chattin’ with ya, I slipped away and redirected the ink back to the main pipe with Barley’s help! Then, he set it off!”

“Bendy, that’s-”

“Brilliant? Genius? Amazing? Thank you, I know~”

“-I was  _ going _ to say smart, but it also gives a whole lot for the Ink demon to use.”

Bendy’s demeanor dropped as he processed the fact

“...oh. Aw, shi-”

Bendy was suddenly returned his earlier favor by the Ink demon, slammed back by a giant inky hand and flying towards the others before getting caught by Alice angel. Looking over, Henry frowned as the Ink demon was looking rather smug with his newfound advantage. 

Holding out his arm, ink started to flow all around and onto the Ink demon; Henry struggled to try and move away, thankfully being lifted and pulled over to the group by Bendy’s ink. Landing on his feet and immediately grasping onto Tom who holds him up, Henry grunts in pain before looking along with the rest of them towards the Ink demon.

Growing much bigger and scarier, the Ink demon let out a dark laughter that made the already rather cracked walls rumble yet again.

“ _ You will all… die. Forget Joey. Forget any ‘rules’. You will die NOW, Henry! _ ”

Roaring, the cracks re-opened causing many butcher gang copies to pour in like sad tumbling confetti. 

Moving to Henry’s side, Bendy looks up at him frowning

“Henry, we’ve literally tried everythin’ we can… I think we’re gonna die for real now.”

“Bendy, I’d say otherwise, but right now it’d take a literal  _ miracle _ , so you might not be wrong…”

“B-But we can still try somethin’, right?? You always said to never give up hope!”

“Maybe, but you’ll have to think  _ really _ fast; i’m kind of out of ideas”

As the Ink demon was still forming himself, Susie sputters then

“W-What about teleportation! I always see the Ink demon go through walls- what about Bendy?!”

“That’s right! Bendy teleported me with him once! I have no idea if he can handle everyone, but it’s the only plan we have now; Everybody, group close as you can!”

Squishing into a rather painfully tight formation, everyone was grasping onto one another with various levels of fear. Looking down to Bendy, Henry calls out

“Alright Bendy, just- try! Try and get us out of here!”

“O-Okay, but I don’t know what I’m doin’! I dunno how!”

“Just focus on me! Focus on hope, and don’t let fear distract you! I know you can do it, you just have to try!”

“R-right! Focus! No fear!”

Closing his eyes tightly, Bendy went into focus as the ink on the floor around them shifted slightly. Slowly, he looked as if he was beginning to glow a little. 

Henry looks up to see the Ink demon almost finished changing before turning to Bendy again to give encouragement

“That’s it; you’re doing it! Just keep it up, okay? I believe in you!”

The Ink demon, finally finished with his new enlarged half beastly form, lunged for them. 

Opening his eyes and stumbling back in fear, Bendy bumps into Henry’s legs with a shout. Grasping the little demon on reflex, Henry shuts his eyes tightly. Everything became rather bright and gold even with his eyes closed, making him hold Bendy tighter; it was as if they’d ignited something.

Then, feeling as if the world had fallen out from under him while his stomach flipped, Henry gasped finding they had plummeted into inky darkness. Above, he caught a brief glimpse of the Ink demon missing the chance to follow as the floor closed back up. Feeling like he was going to be motion sick, Henry held even tighter to Bendy while everyone else was holding together as a group with various levels of shouting.

As suddenly as it had happened, it ended; the inky darkness they were falling through opened up into a huge hole of light beneath them before the group flew up and out of a floor somewhere else entirely. The momentum had caused a separation of sorts, their friends flying all over the place and landing roughly onto the wooden floor- Henry included. Groaning, he lay unmoving for the moment before commenting;

“I’ve really gotta stop hitting into things… I’m going to be put in a coma, or at least get a concussion at this rate…”

Listening to the others scuffle and try to regain themselves, Henry slowly opened his eyes with a sigh, looking at Bendy whom he had accidentally clung to so hard he was still holding him.

“...Ya mind lettin’ me up?”

“Sorry- sure…”

Letting go of the little demon, Henry closes his eyes again as listens to Bendy scurrying away. Everything was rather quiet before Henry hears Bendy’s panicked voice speak up again

“H-HENRY?? I THINK SOMETHIN’ WENT WRONG!”

Eyes snapping back open, Henry immediately sat up despite his pain and fatigue, staring with building horror at the scene before them. All over, it looked as if the others had been doused with chemicals as they were half melting and struggling to stay together. What had happened?? 

Mind racing, Henry forces himself over by Sammy, finding Norman seemed intact but unconscious…

“Oh no. The ink! They can’t touch the ink! Y-Your portal- it pulled them right through it- Sammy! Sammy, can you hear me?!”

Groaning, Sammy was shivering with half of his face having melted back into ink along with various parts of his body. Slowly opening the eye he still had, he stared listlessly through Henry.

“Savior… free… set us free…”

“Sammy, it’s me- Henry! Can you hear me??”

“Inky.. abyss…”

As Sammy slumped, Henry tried to hold him together, but it wasn’t working; how was he supposed to fix /this/? Nearby, he can hear Bendy panicking

“I-I didn’t mean to- I didn’t know!”

Thankfully, not everyone had suffered; the butcher gang, Boris, and alice angel were still in one piece like Norman. Sammy, Susie, Tom, and Allison were another story however. What had happened? What was the difference that made them so susceptible? Watching Charley and Barley fret over both the melting Susie and unconscious Edgar, Henry’s heart felt cold and heavy. Looking back to Sammy, Henry gently shakes him

“Sammy, don’t you give up on me now; you’ve come this far, you can’t give up now! Just hold on, okay? Don’t lose yourself to the ink!”

Mumbling, Sammy’s head rolls a little, ink dripping off his melting face

“Ink… so much ink… too much… damned ink.”

Next to them, Norman woke with a start, his lens flickering to life with a loud click. Sitting up, he looked around before spotting Henry holding Sammy

“SAMMY! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO HIM?!”

Moving over quickly, the projectionists hands hover over the music director before he places them on his head, shaking it

“No no no- I am NOT losing him again!”

“W-We don’t know what happened, but I think it was the ink? It tried to pull them back in, and- and just, deformed them!”

Huffing, Norman took hold of Sammy from Henry, holding him close

“Damnit, Sammy! Just keep it together; you’re not in the puddles anymore! Don’t let it draw you back!”

Groaning, Sammy shakes his head a bit before opening his eyes again to stare at Norman

“Would you turn down the lights?... giving me a headache… too loud, too…”

Staring, Norman snorts at him

“You’re fallin’ apart, an’ you’re still going to sass me?? Unbelievable…”

Smiling a little, Sammy wipes some ink from the melting half of his face

“Ugh… I feel… shitty. Best thing I can do right now…”

Sighing, Norman looks to Henry

“Well, at least he ain’t dying. Just fallin’ apart. How do you reckon we fix them now?”

Frowning, Henry looks over to Tom and Allison who were holding onto each other; the sight made his heart twist.

“I don’t know. I think we just have to wait; they need to re-form on their own. There’s nothing we can do for them but keep them conscious and present.”

Nodding, Norman held Sammy close who nuzzled into his grasp

“I’ll keep a hold on him then. You focus on helping the others…”

Nodding back, Henry starts to crawl towards Tom and Allison, wondering how long he could keep pushing himself before his own total collapse. Reaching them, Henry frowns calling out to them

“Allison? Tom? Are you guys hanging in there?”

Opening her eye, Allison frowns

“B-Barely… doesn’t- urgh… doesn’t feel great. It’s like nausea, but my body turned to mush… it’s pretty gross.”

Tom sniffs then, still holding onto her. Henry sighs, sitting near them leaning on the wall

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean for this to happen; I didn’t know…”

“It’s okay, Henry. We’re at least  _ alive _ … n-not the best condition, but alive nonetheless. We made it out.”

“Barely… this is all my fault. I should’ve never dragged you guys in; I should’ve known it was all a trap… none of you should have followed me into this mess...”

Both of them look to him then, Tom grunting as Allison spoke again

“Henry, you didn’t know. None of us did… we tried what we could, and we made it out alive. W-we’ll just have to… do better next time.”

Blinking his eyes a bit, Henry fought back a few tears. Even after this, they still had faith in him? He’d forgotten what it was like to have people actually care about and trust him after working with Joey for so many years…

“I… alright. Right now, I suppose we should focus on getting ourselves together… literally.”

Nodding, Allison smiles a bit

“You look like you’re ready to pass out yourself”

Staring blankly and distantly at a wall, Henry frowns

“You know… I think… I think I am.”

“What?? Henry-”

Finally unable to avoid it anymore, Henry felt his own body start to shut down on him; his old wounds had been aggravated, he had plenty of new ones including multiples of bruises, not to mention no energy left to spare. Feeling himself slide to the floor from the wall he’d leaned on, Henry hoped that he’d slip into a blissfully dreamless unconsciousness; the last thing he needed was Joey to haunt him in a coma.


	41. Old Wounds, New Infections

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking up after losing consciousness in their escape, Henry finds that the others are alright, but there's a new problem with himself- something isn't quite right. Illness or infection, he can't be sure, but after a temporary fix he ponders their next move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: injury mention, needles, injection
> 
> Note: the image for this chapter might be a little much for some depending, the injury mentioned doesn't look too pretty. it isn't the worst thing in the world but squeamish people be warned!

* * *

~“ _...Two friends, Lovers no more, _ ”~

Standing silently, the Ink demon was in Joey’s new ‘office’ inside a special hidden part of the studio. The catastrophe inside the ink machine that resulted in Henry and the others getting away on top of his inability to track them at the moment wasn’t ideal. Currently, the Ink demon knew Joey was very angry, but he was doing a good job of hiding it. 

Sitting at a fancy but beaten and ink stained desk, Joey had a gramophone playing the record he’d asked the Ink demon to play in Henry’s infirmary room for some reason a while back. The song he kept using was rather tasteless in the Ink demon’s opinion, being some sappy weepy break up song that sounded pathetic to him. Tapping a pen on the desk, Joey had a cold smirk on his face that the demon knew was anything but amused. Sighing then, Joey sat up looking at him

“Do you want to explain to me how, despite having infinite demonic power, ink, and clones at your disposal… you  _ still  _ couldn’t kill them,  _ and  _ let Henry and his little groupies get away?...”

Sneering, the Ink demon who was back to ‘normal’ as normal could be for him, refused to look at Joey

“ _...It was because of Bendy. He has the same power I do, you know- _ ”

“EXCUSES! He’s never gotten in the way before! You’re simply not holding up to the job anymore.”

Growling a bit in frustration, the Ink demon looked to the gramophone

~“ _ Two friends, but not like before… _ ”~

“ _ I’m doing what I /can/. It would help if I knew more about Henry so I could play the mind games more efficiently _ ”

“What you  _ /can/ _ do is far more than this! And I’ve already told you plenty! What more could you need to possibly know?”

Silent, the Ink demon stared at the slowly rotating record

~“ _ To think of what we’ve been, and not to kiss again… _ ”~

“ _...Why did Henry leave the studio? _ ”

Sighing and leaning back in his chair, Joey fiddled with the fancy pen in his hand

“I’ve told you time and time again; he left because he abandoned everything. He couldn’t take the pressure of success and innovation, crumbled, and showed weakness… and there’s no place for weakness in business.”

Slowly, the Ink demon looked to Joey

“ _...he said that wasn’t it. _ ”

~“ _ Seems like pretending, it isn’t the ending… _ ”~

Staring now, Joey seemed to have paused before looking irritated

“Of course he’d say that! Nobody likes admitting to weakness. Are you going to fall for  _ his _ mind games?”

“ _ He said it was a personal reason. He said you’d deny telling me. _ ”

Scoffing and looking even more irritated, Joey fully sat up clacking the pen down to his desk now.

“He’s messing with you and trying to turn us on one another. How is that not incredibly obvious to you? Or are you  _ really _ so dense?”

~“ _ Two friends, drifting apart… _ ”~

Scowling, the Ink demon stared Joey down right back, unfazed by his hostility

“ _ You sound rather defensive to me. He said it was ‘personal’. Something tells me you’re not going to tell me, proving him right _ .”

“That’s because there isn’t anything to tell you! If I knew you’d be so weak to Henry’s words, I’d have given you earplugs for god’s sake…”

~“ _ Just two friends, but one broken heart… _ ”~

Huffing, the Ink demon turned away from him, feeling like digging his claws into the man he so hated. But, he couldn’t do anything… not yet.

“ _ Fine. Even if you don’t tell me, I’ll find out eventually… nothing can be hidden from me. You know this. _ ”

“Well I’m afraid you’ll have to be sorely disappointed when you find nothing.”

~“ _ We laughed, we loved, and we cried; Then suddenly, love died! _ ”~

Grin twitching, the Ink demon slunk away from him now

“ _ We’ll see about that… _ ”

Shaking his head, Joey leaned back in his chair once more, looking down over papers he had been writing plans on.

“Sulk all you want, but when I need you, you better return to me immediately. For now however, your main priority is to find them.”

“ _ Oh, I’ll hunt them down… _ ”

Internally, the Ink demon thought, ‘but not because you commanded me to’; he had his own plans. Leaving Joey’s ‘office’, the Ink demon slowly held up a single glowing shard so bright it was difficult to look at. Grin twitching wider, he chuckled quietly to himself. Joey, thinking himself intelligent and aware of everything, hadn’t even noticed he’d lost the piece of soul he treasured so much more than the others… and with it, the Ink demon would get the truth out of Henry once he found him.

~“ _ The story ends, and we’re! just! Friends! _ ”~

-

With a start, Henry flinched, eyes snapping open; he’d felt like he was falling through the world again for a moment, and he could have sworn he’d caught distant lyrics to a song he vaguely recognized. Furrowing his brow, he realized… he couldn’t see. What was going on??

Trying to move a bit, his body immediately reacted with burning agony that made him hiss and stay put. Laying still, he tried to process where he might be and why he couldn’t see; slowly, he came to realize there was something wrapped over his eyes. Simply breathing and trying to will the pain away, Henry wondered if there was anyone nearby…

“Hello?... Is someone there?”

He was met with silence, making him frown. That was rather unfortunate.

“Guys?... Is anyone there? I’m awake now…”

A sniff nearby made Henry move his head slightly; someone was there, but they weren’t saying anything… Ah.

“Boris? That you buddy?...”

With a quiet whine, Boris confirmed it was indeed him sitting nearby. Sighing softly, Henry turns his head towards the noise

“This isn’t really ideal for either of us, huh?...”

Boris whines again, making Henry ponder how they might communicate; he had a lot of questions to ask.

“Hey buddy, is it possible you can fetch someone? I need to know what’s going on if you’d help me out…”

Hearing his friend stand up, Henry felt relieved that he would soon know if the others were okay or not. After a few minutes of silently listening, Henry heard footsteps re-entering the room, but this time there was more than one set. The voice that spoke slightly surprises him, answering at least one question; it was Allison.

“Finally awake? Man, you scared us passing out like that…”

“Allison?? You’re alright?”

“Yes, I’m alright; I’m glad you recognize my voice.”

“How are you feeling? How’re the others?”

“Recovering. Currently, we’re all a bit… sticky, I guess you could say. Reforming is a bit slow for us, but it’s in progress. I just wish things would stop sticking to me.”

Smiling a bit, Henry sighs in relief

“I’m glad… Also, can I uh. Ask about my eyes being wrapped?”

“Oh- right. You were bruised and cut all over, so we just... kind of gave you a liberal covering. Bendy suggested we wrap your eyes because your whole face was pretty bruised anyways, and it’d help you not freak out when you woke up.”

“...why would I freak out when I woke up?”

“See, this is why you have the bandages”

“...Allison, you’re making me anxious. What’s wrong with me??”

“You’re fine! It’s just a lot of wounds. They look worse than they are is all”

Frowning, Henry wondered if there was something else going on…

“Alright… if you say so. Can you uncover them for me now?”

“Promise not to panic?”

“You saying that makes it a bit difficult... but fine; I promise.”

Hearing her walk over then, Henry felt the bandaging being gently moved from his eyes. Blinking once it was off, he squints trying to adjust to seeing light again. Looking down at himself, Henry sees at least one reason to be upset: he was in his underwear.

“AH!”

“Hey! You promised not to panic!”

“Sorry- Sorry, just…  _ I’m in my underwear?? _ ”

“You had a  _ lot _ of wounds to fix…”

Still looking over himself feeling rather embarrassed now, Henry slowly saw the real source of why he should panic. His burning upper left torso where the Ink demon had dug into so long ago looked… diseased almost. The skin over the scars was black, veins spidering away from them also having blackened. 

As his eyes widen, Allison holds out her hands

“Okay, don’t-”

“aahHHH?! AHHHHH!!”

“-do that. Alright… well, so much for that...”

Boris, who had flinched, whines while several more of the othersrushed into the room; Tom, Bendy, and Alice had all come running. Tom sighs irritably, having likely thought there was an emergency. Alice frowns, while Bendy hurries over to Henry

“Aw jeeze Henry, please stop yellin’!”

“W-What’s happening to me?!”

“We don’t know!! But freakin’ out is only gonna make it worse!”

Taking deep breaths despite his lungs aching, Henry tried to calm down

“Okay- okay… you’re right. This is just… this can’t be good.”

Alice angel approaches him, still frowning

“I tried to heal it, but it didn’t go away… your other wounds healed up fine, but… this one won’t.”

Slowly, Henry moves his right hand to gently touch it. Even the lightest pressure made it feel like his very flesh was burning. Clenching his teeth and struggling not to shout, Henry relaxes when it wanes to see everyone looking worried around him. Breathing a bit heavily, Henry sighs

“This is really bad… I don’t know what’s wrong, but- urgh- it’s bad. I can’t move or touch it without agony…”

Allison approached him then, crossing her arms with worry; now that he could see her, he could tell what she’d meant about being slow to reform. Several parts of her were like unrendered patchwork, made of shiny black ink in the shape of her normal body, but still ink. It was much like splotches of her had lost their ‘paint’ layer.

“It’s definitely not good… we’ve tried everything we could though. I wish I knew why this was happening now…”

Bendy groans, slumping against Henry’s right arm and hugging it

“Henryyyyyy why do ya always gotta be dyin’ on me?? I thought ya promised no more fallin’ apart, old man!”

“Hey, I never promised that. And I don’t know; I guess misery loves me.”

Suddenly, Sammy came bursting into the room with Norman in tow; he looked excited about something from what Henry could tell. Like Allison, he was also made of inky patchwork over his normal body. It was honestly a bit unnerving considering one of his eyes was blank ink.

“Guys! Me and Norman found something amazing! We don’t exactly know what it is, but there’s a huge locked door we couldn’t get into- I think it’s some sort of vault! Who knows what secrets might be hiding in there??”

His smile faded however when he saw Henry

“...What the hell is happening to him  _ now?? _ ”

Grunting, Henry gives him a look

“I wish I could say I knew…”

Moving so Norman could walk in, Sammy tsks

“There’s always something else, isn’t there? It looks like you’ve got an infection. Gross…”

Blinking, Henry looks down at it again

“...That... that makes perfect sense!”

“...it does? I was just poking fun at you…”

“It does! Physical wounds can be healed, but illness… we haven’t had that in this place at all. Nobody’s had to heal from it. It won’t heal because it’s not just a wound…”

Alice angel puts her hands to her mouth then

“You’re sick?!”

“Well, not  _ exactly _ . My wound is sick, I guess. But  _ how _ ?...”

Scoffing, Bendy hugs his good arm tighter

“Stink demon probably doesn’t wash his ugly claws. Wait… oh man! What if  _ /I/ _ get infected?? He clawed me too!!”

Frowning, Henry sighs

“One thing at a time, okay? If it’s an infection, it needs disinfectant. I just… don’t know what to use, or where we’d find it…”

Susie pokes her head into the room then, the butcher gang behind her. Limping over to her side, Henry realizes Edgar now had a brace on one leg. She, too, looked like the others being half reformed; she also seemed a bit irritated as she spoke;

“I couldn’t help but overhear the commotion… if you want to try something for disinfectant, how about your homebrew ink remover?...”

Blinking again, Henry ponders that

“...That’s… actually not a bad idea.”

Looking down remembering he wasn’t dressed, Henry became keenly aware that everyone was looking at him... and he was in his  _ underwear _ . Flustering, Henry looks to Allison

“Uh… do you know where my stuff is? Also, can I have a blanket? Everyone’s kind of… staring at me. And I don’t have clothes on.”

Trying not to laugh, Allison nods; Sammy had snorted out loud however, and was smirking

“Aww, Henry’s embarrassed… don’t worry, Henry; plenty of people find the dad thing attractive…”

Flushing, Henry keenly wishes his arm didn’t hurt so he could try covering himself

“ _ NOT HELPING! _ ”

Sammy laughs, getting elbowed by Norman for it

“Aw, leave the poor guy alone. He’s been through enough as is.”

Rolling his eyes, Sammy puts his hands on his hips

“You were just telling me earlier how you thought he was cu- OW”

Norman had pinched him for the teasing just then.

“That’s enough.”

Pouting, Sammy gives him a dirty look while Allison brought Henry a blanket, putting it over him. In the process however, Bendy hadn’t moved from hugging his arm, so now there was a little demon shaped lump standing next to him covered in blanket. Henry raised an eyebrow, snorting himself now

“Bendy?... you alright in there?”

“Yup. Kinda cozy, actually.”

Grinning, he looks to Allison who hands him his jar of ink

“Thanks… now, I need a sterile needle.”

Susie waves at him then

“I should have one on Barley…”

“Of course you would…”

“What? Pays to be prepared! Barley, would you be a dear?...”

Quietly, the fisher hands her the syringe. Inspecting it, Susie nods

“Here you go”

She walks over, gently placing the needle in his hand

“Thanks. Bendy, mind holding this still for me?”

Through the blanket, Bendy’s hand now had the ink jar grasped so it wouldn’t move as Henry unscrewed its lid. There was a dwindling amount left, and he realized that without the reset, he may not be able to make more… this could be the last of it he ever had. Frowning, Henry silently stared at it for a moment before Bendy spoke

“Well??”

“Sorry. Just give me a second…”

Dipping the syringe into the jar now, Henry drew almost all of what was left in the jar before screwing it shut again. Allison took the jar away thankfully without being asked, Henry sighing heavily

“...Now for the part that’s going to suck. Uh… unless you guys want to watch, I’d recommend leaving.”

Almost immediately Susie, Sammy, and Boris all left; Norman snorted, shaking his head and surprisingly staying as did Allison, Tom, and Bendy who had the blanket shielding his view. Alice angel looked conflicted however

“Oh, is this a good idea?? It’s going to hurt! What if it makes it worse?...”

“I… honestly can’t say. But i’m sure it’ll be fine. You don’t have to stay…”

Walking over now, she gently took the syringe from his hand

“I think it would be better to have someone else do it for you. It might hurt less, or at least be easier…”

Nodding a bit, Henry leaned his head back onto the pillow he realizes was there. How was he just realizing somehow they’d got him a cot and pillow? He vaguely wondered who might’ve packed such a thing, or if they’d found it. Either way, he was glad for it now, especially with what was coming…

“Just go for it; even if I yell, I want to make sure It’s not wasted, alright? I just hope this doesn’t completely melt me…”

Looking worried, Alice seemed more hesitant now, Bendy also whining from under the blanket

“Henryyyyy, why’d you gotta say that!! Now i’m worryin’!!”

“It’s fine! I’m just saying, there’s a possibility is all- not that it’ll happen… Alice, Please? The suspense is going to make me more anxious and I really don’t need that, the sooner we do this, the better.”

Nodding, she moved closer leaning over Henry while Norman, Allison, and Tom all also leaned in, curious to see what would happen. Feeling a pinch from the needle, Henry gripped the side of the cot with his right hand Bendy was hugging. Then, he felt his invisible ink mixture injected into it. 

Immediately, Henry yelled in pain. 

Flinching, Alice quickly moves away as Allison yells back;

“HOLD HIM DOWN!” 

With loud scrambling, Tom, Norman, and her all grabbed and pinned Henry who was now thrashing from pain; thankfully, Bendy had the sense to let go and get away. Yelling, Henry felt as if the burning had been turned into molten fire actively broiling inside of him. There was also a bright gold light he could see despite his eyes being shut, meaning  _ something _ was happening- he just wasn’t sure what. 

Crying out in pain, he struggled under the grasp of the others trying to get them off; it hurt so bad, he  _ had _ to move- he has to rip it out, claw the pain out of his body! On second thought… maybe it was better they were holding him.

As horribly as it had began, the pain quickly faded away leaving a tingling soreness in his upper left torso. Taking deep breaths, Henry finally calmed down enough to look at the damage… only to find it was more of an undamage. It had worked; the black, sickly darkness under his skin had cleared away... at least, mostly. What was left were small thin black lines where the demon’s claws had sheared over him.

“O-Okay… I…  _ never _ want to do that again.”

Wheezing, Allison wiped her brow

“That was pretty rough. Though… I don’t think it’s  _ fully  _ fixed. There’s still some black on the wound…”

Sighing, Henry nods a little

“It’ll at least hopefully kept it at bay for now… I don’t want to keep doing that though, and I won’t be able to anyways; I barely have enough of my ink left for anything. Most of it was in that sword I made… which uh… where is it?”

Allison stares at him before she gives an honest vague shrug, as do the others; sighing yet again, Henry slumps his head back

“Okay… sword’s missing. That’s not great. I have a wound that might re-infect itself… and… hey. Where  _ are _ we? And what was the secret vault Sammy was talking about?...” 

Norman answers then, shaking his head

“We don’t know; this is a parta’ the studio none of us have seen before. Not even we know how deep this place goes…”

Tom grunts, looking at Norman sternly, but Norman simply stares back for a moment before holding his hands out to both sides

“Tom, I can’t understand ya. Yer gonna have to learn sign language, get a pen, or  _ something… _ ”

Rolling his eyes, Tom gestures to Norman’s speaker, to which the projectionist shakes his head

“Uh-uh. I don’t wanna do that again, it wasn’t exactly fun last time-”

Growling in frustration, Tom gestures wildly at him; Allison sighs, looking over to Henry

“It’d be useful if we had more than one of those, huh?...”

“Yeah. I bet Boris could use one too, but he seems to be doing okay… It’s strange that Alice and Bendy can speak, but not him...”

Norman screeches then, drawing both Henry and Allison’s attention over to see him and Tom slap fighting rather pathetically. Bendy was cheering them on from nearby (not helping as usual) while Alice Angel was trying (and failing) to stop them. Sighing, Henry forces himself to sit up, feeling rather stiff… and old. Man, maybe his age was coming back to him finally.

“Guys,  _ knock it off _ , will you? The last thing we need is someone getting hurt for dumb reasons.”

Grunting grumpily, Tom thankfully stopped but both he and Norman were giving each other looks… at least, Henry would assume considering Norman didn’t have a face.

Tom pulled a small notepad from his pocket with a pen instead, furiously writing something down. Allison leaned over his arm to read as he wrote while Norman was keeping a distance, arms crossed grumpily. 

Allison takes the notepad when he finishes writing, reading it for them

“Tom says he knows this area. He helped to design it for Joey… but he doesn’t know what Joey’s using it for. Something about a private vault for special use?... Oh, great. And Joey had the only existing key to it.”

Sighing, Henry shook his head

“Well, if it’s supposed to be ‘special’ or hidden, there’s no doubt it’s something Joey doesn’t want any of us to see… Which means we should definitely open it.”

Alice, who had been trying to make Norman less grumpy, spoke up then

  
“What if It’s dangerous, or really bad?? What if he locked away something worse than the Ink demon?”

Bendy snorts, shaking his head

“That’s impossible; there’s nothin’ worse than him.”

Henry frowns, feeling a bit defensive suddenly

“Hey. That’s not nice. He’s been unfairly manipulated just like the rest of us”

Bendy silently stares at Henry, as do the others. Allison raises an eyebrow at him then;

“Uh… Henry, he almost killed all of us, and he seems to hate  _ you _ the worst. Why’re you defending him?”

Blinking, Henry sighs and holds out his arms to Bendy who slowly walks over, hopping up into his hug

“Sorry… I didn’t mean to sound harsh. Things have just been… really weird. Everytime I pass out or fall asleep, things keep happening.”

Allison frowns, looking curious

“Things? Is this anything like those dreams Sammy spoke about that connected you to the Ink demon?”

“Sort of? But not quite. The most recent one was… weird. I was seeing memories that weren’t mine, and the whispering… I understood it for once. It was a bunch of things we’d said both before this place became like this, and after... all insulting and belittling the Ink demon.”

Tom blinked, looking taken aback before sulking a bit. Henry frowns, looking down to Bendy who seemed rather sad too. In fact, everyone seemed kind of bummed out, minus Norman who was still grumpy. Tom writes something else down, showing it to Allison so she can read it

“...Tom wants to know if you saw anything else? And why you think you heard that?”

Shaking his head, Henry frowns

“Sorry… I didn’t see anything else. But, I do have an idea  _ why  _ I heard it; I think it’s Joey’s doing. He’s using all the negative memories and things we’ve said to keep the Ink demon against us… he’s rightfully worried that I’ll keep trying to get through to and turn the Ink demon to our side.”

Tom grunts, looking down. He seemed to believe what Henry was suggesting was fairly impossible. Alice angel speaks up however;

“That’s terrible! He’s being forced to only hear bad things and remember bad memories so he’ll feel bad about himself?? That’s torture!”

Bendy sneers a bit, slumping on Henry

“He deserves to hear it for the stuff he’s done…”

Frowning more, Henry looks down at Bendy

“How can you say that? Especially when he’s literally  _ you? _ ... Bendy… do you feel guilty? Are you punishing the Ink demon with apathy and anger to make up for it?”

Bendy’s expression went blank at that then with a duck quack sound effect; it would've been rather comical if not for the serious topic.

“Guilty?! I- No!! He’s the one who- he’s not- I’m not him! We’re not- no!!”

Henry gives him a look, unconvinced

“You sound rather defensive…”

“I-I just don’t like bein’ accused!”

Alice walks over then, gently putting a hand on Bendy’s head

“Oh, Bendy… It’s not your fault! You don’t have to feel that way!”

Grimacing, Bendy shakes his head

“Hey! When did this become emotional honesty hour, huh?! Can we focus on openin’ that vault or somethin’ instead??”

Henry sighs, feeling weighed down by more than physical exhaustion

“We can’t keep avoiding the heavy subjects with you, Bendy. You’ll have to face it eventually; it isn’t healthy to avoid-”

“Eventually is fine by me, just not right now! All of us almost just died so I wanna focus on somethin’ else!”

Blinking, Henry slumped a bit giving in; he was right after all... it wasn’t the best time for it. 

Allison walks over then, offering Henry his clothes

“Here; if you’re feeling up to it, maybe we can go check out that vault?...”

Taking them, Henry nods

“Sounds good… but uh… can you guys leave so I can get dressed?”

Grinning a bit, Allison nods back

“Sure thing. I think we’ve embarrassed you plenty enough for now…”

“Huh?? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“C’mon guys, let’s let him get dressed”

Watching them leave, Henry can’t help but wonder what she’d meant… were they planning on embarrassing him again? Now that he thought about it, he wasn’t entirely surprised. Sighing, he slowly got off of the cot, Bendy still in his arms

“You going to stay in here or follow them?”

“Meh. I’ve gotten used to bein’ this close to ya, it doesn’t bother me.”

Smiling a bit, Henry sets him down on the cot, rubbing a bit at his very sore shoulder and chest

“Well, that’s good… but don’t expect me to let you take baths with me.”

Making a face, Bendy sticks out his tongue

“Ewww, old man water?? No way!”

Henry snorts at that, feeling a bit better as he starts to re-dress. Having Bendy around proved to be a great booster for his mood... he only hoped he did the same for the little demon.

Unfolding his shirt, Henry blinked in surprise finding it had been stitched back up in many places. It was also more ink stained than before, especially in places the Ink demon had clawed him. Sighing, he put it on while Bendy frowned at him

“...Things are only gonna get tougher, aren’t they?”

“I wouldn’t doubt it… we’re taking a whole new path that could lead anywhere. I just hope it doesn’t pull this place tumbling down on our heads.”

Finishing getting dressed then, Henry rolls up his sleeves before sighing contently

“Alright; let’s go see what this ‘vault’ is all about…”


	42. Behind Closed Curtain Calls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having arrived at the mysterious 'vault', Henry is confused to find he'd never seen it before- and how new it seemed compared to everything else. Leaving Bendy to try and find a key, he and the others try to find supplies the group needs while searching for the seemingly missing Alice Angel. The things Henry does find however are much more peculiar...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mild violence
> 
> Notes: Only one drawing this update for chapter 43 and it's simplistic because I ran out of steam, but i hope you guys still like it! It's getting hard to keep up with drawing for my fic because my inspiration is running low but hopefully we can get through it! :) I also want to mention though that the tag 'major character death' does not apply to these chapters, as some of you might think it that way; it also doesn't mean what you might think. it's a surprise for later, you'll see! :D (and by later I mean MUCH MUCH later at the end LOL)

* * *

Standing before the mystery vault, Henry stared up at a door that was even more impressive than the one the Ink demon had torn off at the film vault. The circular door may have been the very only thing Henry had ever seen in the studio untouched by time or ink; it was shiny and new looking, no rust or stains on it. The only thing giving away its age was a fine layer of dust that Henry could see had handprints all over it where Sammy and Norman had probably attempted to open it from prior.

“That is… a really big door.”

Sammy snorts, holding a hand out

“See?? There’s got to be something either really terrifying, really amazing, or really important to Joey behind it… Who says it isn’t all three though?”

It was Susie’s turn to snort as she looks up

“If there was anything living sealed in there, It’d probably be long dead by now.”

Sammy gives her a bit of a look shrugging

“The Ink demon was locked away for decades and survived... maybe it’s another ink creature!”

“Yes, and it’s just  _ really _ quiet or sleeping conveniently so we don’t hear it… Tom said the Ink demon was loud when he wanted to get out.”

Sammy pouts a bit then before muttering

“Maybe it just gave up the will to live and sulked into a corner…”

Henry furrows his brow, thinking how cruel that sounded… and also how it could have potentially applied to the Ink demon. Shaking the disturbing thought, he sighs staring up at the door again

“Well, one thing’s for sure… we need to figure out how to open it. The key to finding and stopping Joey could be in there…”

Tom sniffs, crossing his arms looking up at the vault; Boris looks at him curiously before signing

‘Is something wrong?’

Tom raises an eyebrow, not quite understanding; those who could read sign language were a bit scattered in the group including Henry, the other toons (besides Charley), and Allison. Henry found it a bit odd Tom never learned considering Allison knew it, and he wasn’t able to speak; she did translate for Boris however;

“He’s asking you if something’s wrong.”

Tom sighs heavily, closing his eyes for a moment before looking to her and nodding. Frowning, she raises an eyebrow

“What is it?”

Pulling back out his notepad, Tom writes something making everyone have to silently watch and wait. They really had to find a better solution for the poor guy. Allison reads it out loud then;

“The door is designed to survive major explosives, and has a sealed vault room that’s basically impenetrable… so, there’s no way we can force our way in, is there?”

Shrugging, Tom scribbles quickly before holding it up to her again

“...unless there’s a better idea, we have to find the key. Well, Henry, what do you think?”

Frowning, Henry watches as Barley curiously inspects the door, Charley gnawing pointlessly on the handle with his disturbingly extendable jaw. (Naturally, Edgar was facepalming next to him)

“...I think that Joey definitely has it, so we’ll have to find another way. Bendy, do you think you could phase through it?”

“Nuh-uh, if it’s solid metal an’ sealed, I can’t get through it. Unless it’s a surface liquid can get through, I can’t get in”

“Dang… There has to be something we can do. Some way to… get… the key.”

Bendy raises an eyebrow then, looking to him curiously

“Why’d you get all weird sayin’ that?”

Facepalming then, Henry turns to Bendy grabbing the surprised demon by his shoulders

“Your powers! Remember? You can summon things from other parts of the studio! Which means…”

Eyes widening, it was Bendy’s turn to facepalm with a comically loud smack

“I can just summon the dang thing! Henry, yer a genius!”

Making a face, Sammy tsks

“We never  _ did _ find out where this shirt i’m wearing came from…”

Susie hums in thought, furrowing her brow behind them as she ponders something else

“Don’t you think Joey would notice the key is missing though?”

Henry sighs, looking to Tom

“What do you think? Do you have any idea if he visits this thing often?”

Tom gives him a vague shrug, writing on the notepad again before holding it out to Henry;

‘All I know is this thing is meant to hold stuff and survive most anything. Honestly, I think it was a ‘seal and forget’ type of thing, so It’s possible he might not notice. At least, not for a while.’

Nodding, Henry looks over to Bendy

“Then It’s worth a shot. You think you can do it?”

Tapping his chin, Bendy’s face twists in thought

“Hmmmm… It’s gonna be real hard though; I dunno what the key looks like, so it won’t be easy to summon…”

Edgar limps over to him, Bendy’s expression surprisingly softening as the striker speaks

“You managed to pull me and a shirt from random places, I am certain you can find a key.”

“Yeah… ya think so? Guess I’ll have ta try and focus on it. In the meanwhile, you guys’ll have ta find somethin’ else ta do unless ya like starin’ at me for hours…”

Henry looks to Tom who raises an eyebrow

“Well, there’s one thing… how about we make a speaking device for Tom?”

Barley blinks looking over to them

“...It would be nice to have something to do. I get… a little antsy when I don’t get to work with my hands.”

Charley huffs a bit, smiling and patting the poor fisher so roughly his head dislodges from its hook on his pole and goes swinging. Flailing his arms to catch it, Charley laughs a bit helping him

“Sorry ‘bout that; I was just gonna say I’ve noticed that ya pace sometimes when you’re not doing anything”

Sighing, Barley looks to Tom who looked down in return, his expression seeming grumpy. Then again, his default expression always looked rather… grumpy. Tom sighs through his nose, nodding while looking back to Henry who smiles a little

“Alright; let’s get Tom his own speaker. Before we go though, is there anything else we can do to help you Bendy?”

“Well, knowin’ what the key looks like might help, ‘cause I dunno what it looks like”

Henry looks to Tom, but he shrugs holding up his arms; sighing, Henry looks back to Bendy

“I’m afraid you’ll have to figure that part out on your own. You think you’ll be alright?”

“Yeah, guess i’ll just picture any kinda key I can. You guys ain’t leavin’ me alone though, right?”

“Well, I don’t think  _ all _ of us have to get parts for a speaker. We’ll split up for now.”

Charley puts his arm around Barley who tries to keep his head from swinging away again, the piper beaming

“I’m goin’ with Barles!”

Edgar sighs, turning to Bendy

“I’ll stay with Bendy. My leg still needs time to recover, as do I…”

Bendy smiles at the striker, warmly dropping an arm around his shoulders making Edgar flinch slightly and fluster

“Yeah! You can keep me company! Whatta ‘bout the rest of you guys?”

Sammy makes a bit of a face

“After the last time we had to fetch something being that giant ink jar, I think I’d rather just stay around here.”

Norman snorts a bit at him, looking to Henry

“Well, unless ya really need a big search party for parts, I’m stayin’ with mr.pouty”

“I am  _ not _ pouting.”

“Uh huh… sure ya aren’t”

Sammy squints a bit at Norman who Henry could tell would’ve been smiling. Allison walks over to Tom then, also smiling

“Well, I go where Tom does, so count me in. Susie, are you coming?”

“I think I’ll stay;  _ someone _ has to keep an eye on these guys…”

Henry nods a bit before looking over to Boris

“You feel like coming with me buddy?”

Boris nods back before pausing and signing

‘Where’s Alice?’

Blinking, Henry looks around. He couldn’t see her anywhere.

“Oh- hey, guys? Where’s Alice? Did anyone see where she went?”

Bendy looks around too, frowning

“Uh, nope… Alice?? Where’d ya go!”

Unfortunately, there wasn’t a response. Feeling a bit worried, Henry turns to one of the halls

“Right… that’s great. Okay guys, we’ll split up to look for parts  _ and _ Alice. Do we still have the communication devices?”

Barley opens a pocket on his belt before pulling them out letting Henry take and hand them out

“Alright, three for three groups. I’ll go with Boris to look for Alice, you four can go gather parts. We’ll meet up back here later; just try not to stray too far for too long… If we can avoid it, I want to avoid luring the Ink demon to us for now”

Allison steps towards him, frowning

“Be careful, okay Henry?”

“I will. You stay safe too.”

Nodding to him, she returns to Tom as Barley and Charley set off down one of the other halls. Sighing, Henry looks to Bendy

“Behave for them while I’m gone, okay?”

“What, me? I’m a little darlin’! Ain’t gotta worry about that!”

However, the devil had a cheeky grin that made Henry feel otherwise

“Bendy…”

“Alright, alright; I won’t cause trouble. I’ll be busy summoning the key anyhow…”

“Right. I’ll be back soon, okay?”

Frowning a bit, Bendy hurries over giving Henry a tight hug to his legs. Looking down, Henry smiles a little before he crouches and gives Bendy a big hug back

“It’ll be fine. I promise.”

“You better keep it!”

“I will. I’ll be back soon.”

“Okay…”

Bendy lets go, still pouting. Henry felt a bit bad leaving him like this, but if Alice was missing, it could mean something bad. Turning to Boris, he nods

“Let’s go.”

-

Having searched many different halls he didn’t recognize, Henry was beginning to wonder if he and Boris would ever find Alice no less the way back. Hopefully they hadn’t veered too far from a linear path- the studio was rather maze-like afterall. So far, they’d only found more bacon soup (which Henry had started collecting in Boris’ highly useful cartoon pockets), various Bendy posters and paraphernalia, and empty halls. Naturally, they all had some form of ink stains or leaks all over.

Feeling frustrated, Henry had paused by some crates to sit down with a heavy sigh, Boris frowning at him

“Sorry buddy… I’m just a bit frustrated. I don’t know if we’re even looking in the right direction anymore. What if we get too lost? I haven’t seen any signs of her so far…”

Whining a bit, Boris sits next to him hanging his head. Frowning, Henry reaches a hand up and gently pats it

“Hey… It’ll be alright. I guess even if we do get lost, we have the communication device, each other, and  _ plenty  _ of bacon soup.”

Boris smiles then, nodding. Henry smiles back, thinking how his wolfy friend certainly enjoyed the soup as much as Bendy, who he knew would be jumping off the walls when they got back with it. Sighing a bit again, Henry silently gazes off into space before his eyes slowly train onto a pipe. Most of the halls they’d walked down didn’t have any in this area, strangely enough… but here was one now. Then, he got an idea;

“The pipes. The other halls didn’t have any, but there’s one now. Do you think if we follow it we’ll find something?”

Blinking, Boris looks up at it before smiling and nodding. Henry gets up, still looking at the pipe

“Well, I guess It’s better than walking around aimlessly. C’mon… let’s see where these lead.”

Getting up as well, Boris nods again before following after him. As they followed the pipes, Henry could see splotches of ink more and more often along with more leaks and some flooded rooms. Soon, he starts to notice miracle stations as well… this must be Gent territory, he thinks. That, or…

Frowning, Henry pauses making Boris nervously stop

“Miracle stations. That means the Ink demon comes around here… I only ever see them in places he shows up more often than others.”

Boris whines quietly, hugging his arm; patting the wolf, Henry can’t help but think how he too was feeling rather uneasy now. It was as if a chilling patient presence was now listening closely, waiting for anything that would give them away. 

“Let’s try not to make too much noise… the last thing we need is to draw him out.”

Nodding, Boris squeezed his arm tighter; patting the quiet wolf, Henry started to walk a bit more carefully while following the pipes. The further they got, the darker the rooms were with only sparse ceiling lights every now and again that flickered and buzzed ominously. The uneasiness in him was only growing, and he knew Boris could tell he was afraid as the wolf was shaking a little. 

After walking in silence down a particularly long and ink leaking hall, Henry paused at a door that was open a crack. Feeling nervous, he slowly pushed it open; inside, it was very dim to the point he could barely see. On the far end, a sort of chain link structure was fitted over a long horizontal window behind which were shutters barely open to let in the smallest bit of light.

Squeezing his arm tighter, Boris holds him from moving forward while shaking his head vigorously; Henry sighs, looking to him

“Boris, let me go. I have to check”

The wolf whines quietly, shaking his head more along with the rest of his body. Henry couldn’t blame him for being scared, as the room did seem incredibly uninviting... something about it just felt… off. But, Henry had a feeling that he had to go into it as well; that something they needed was there.

“C’mon Boris, we’ll just take it slow, okay? We’ll watch out for each other, and I’ll protect you.”

Boris was still very reluctant, but he finally let Henry walk into the room; it was a decent sized room larger than most of the offices they’d been in, but full of furniture clutter he could barely make out in the dark. Getting close to the window, Henry leaned closer preparing to peer through the blinds… what was on the other side? He could see light, but from what?

A hand grasps his shoulder then that wasn’t Boris’, causing Henry to inhale sharply before a loud ‘SHHHHH’ followed it. Covering his mouth quickly, Henry tried to calm his now racing heart. In front of him in the dark, he could see Alice; apparently she’d found them instead. Looking to Boris, the wolf looked as ready to have fainted as Henry did. Looking back to Alice, Henry tried to whisper but was shushed again. Then, Alice made a gesture he understood clearly.

‘Listen.’

Staying still in the ambient darkness, Henry could hear it now; the unmistakable chugging of the Ink machine. It was right on the other side. However, there was also something else… splashing? That’s when he heard something even stranger that made no sense to him. Someone was singing… and it was a voice he didn’t recognize whatsoever. Raising an eyebrow to Alice, she nodded while smiling a little.

Listening closely, Henry focused on the sound; the voice was… unworldly. It was masculine and calm, a bit deep, and almost charismatic. The only thing that made it off putting was a slightly echoing whispery quality to it making it hard to hear and understand. The more he listened however, the more he could make out the words…

(Song: Gloomy Sunday - Billie Holiday)

“... _ Little white flowers, _

_ Will never awaken you. _

_ Not where the black coach, _

_ Of sorrow has taken you... _

_ Angels have no thought, _

_ Of ever returning you _

_ Would they be angry, _

_ If I thought of joining you?... _ ”

Curious, Henry leaned closer to try and see through the slats of the shades. Very slowly pushing one down enough to peer out, Henry saw a room in the Ink machine he hadn’t before; it had some sort of ink fountain, along with many pipes feeding around it like a wiry maze. That’s when he saw a sign above the fountain of ink that read ‘INK PURIFICATION’ with lights that may have once had colored indicators, but were now sepia toned like everything. Then, finding the source of the singing, Henry could hardly believe who the voice belonged to…

Standing in the fountain practically showering in the ink, the Ink demon himself was the one signing. Somehow, his voice was completely different which Henry didn’t understand... not only that, but within the mass quantity of ink the demon looked less deformed as if it was helping him. 

“. _..Gloomy is Sunday, _

_ With shadows I spend it all, _

_ My heart and I, _

_ Have decided to end it all... _ ”

As the Ink demon wiped ink from his face, Henry could almost have sworn he saw eyes under the ink covering his face- or was he seeing things? Turning to Alice, Henry gave her a questioning look as she signed to him eagerly while Boris took his turn to curiously peer through the blinds

‘It’s amazing, isn’t it? He’s not being depressed, angry, or anything; he’s just singing and enjoying himself! Maybe there’s some good left in him after all!’

Looking back to the blinds for a moment, Henry wondered about that… it did prove that the Ink demon was capable of experiencing some form of joy, even if simple and fleeting. Though, he wasn’t sure just how far that would go for them… was it really joy, or were they perceiving it that way? He signs back to her;

‘It’s definitely new. Is this why you snuck off? You had us worried’

“ _...Death is no dream, _

_ For in death I'm caressin' you _

_ With the last breath of my soul, _

_ I'll be blessin' you... _ ”

Frowning, Alice looks down a bit guilty signing again

‘Sorry about that. I actually got lost because I was trying to find the sword for you. Then I heard signing, so I wound up here’

Sighing softly, Henry nods

‘I’m just glad you’re okay. We should probably go though, before he notices we’re here.’

Alice nods back, and Henry turns to Boris seeing he had pulled down the blinds quite a bit more than Henry had to see through. Tapping his shoulder, the quiet wolf flinched releasing the blinds with a small snap; cringing, Henry’s gaze immediately darted to the light behind them. Listening closely, he could tell the signing had stopped.

Grimacing, Henry started to desperately gesture with his hands without having to tell them what it meant;

‘MOVE IT, NOW! GO!’

All three of them moved quietly and quickly as possible, escaping the room and closing the door quietly as possible behind them. Listening closely, Henry couldn’t hear anything, but he didn’t want to take chances. He signs quickly to the others;

‘Hurry; follow the pipes back, we have to get far as possible-’

Suddenly, shadows extended over the walls as Henry heard a dreaded sound that made cold fear grip him.

A heartbeat. He was coming.

Grabbing the other two’s arms then, Henry started to outright  _ run _ for it; they had to get away, and  _ fast _ . He knew that even if they hid in a miracle station it was likely the Ink demon would try and break it open and keep them trapped. Glancing over his shoulder, Henry could see the shadows getting darker threatening to touch them soon. If they did, the Ink demon would know for sure they were there.

Leaving the long hall now, Henry turned a corner desperately chasing the pipes to get away. Alice risked whispering as they were running, looking scared and worried

“I-I’m sorry Henry! I should’ve never wandered off!”

“It’s fine; we just need to get away.”

Boris whines a little, to which Henry quickly responds

“It’s not your fault either, buddy; I should’ve known that would startle you. What matters now is just staying alive, okay?”

Boris whines again, but nods.

His heart beating faster and louder, Henry felt as if the blood rushing to his ears was deafening him. That’s when he looked down and saw the rush of shadows chasing them faster, realizing the heartbeat he was hearing wasn’t his  _ own _ . Panicked now, Henry looked around before seeing an ink flooded office with a miracle station inside. Veering that way, Henry quickly pulled all three of them inside the station making Alice and Boris both grunt from the force. He whispered harshly once inside it;

“Get down out of sight, don’t make  _ any _ noise!”

Now crouched in a cramped huddle together, all three of them went quiet to the point Henry found he was holding his breath. Trying not to wheeze from running, he listened intensely before hearing the heartbeat get more distant. Then, it seemed to pause before coming back. Tensing, Henry felt fear building up with the risk of being found at any moment. He could now hear inky footsteps padding around the wood floor just outside the room they were in.

To his dismay, he heard an inky splash as the demon stepped into the room, approaching the station. Leaning against the door, Henry pushed both Alice and Boris flat as he could- which was surprisingly flat considering they were toons. Looking up, Henry felt like his heart was in his throat when he saw the Ink demon peering inside the station. Glancing around it, his gaze slowly scanned the walls, pausing now and again. Huffing, the demon moved away to Henry’s major relief before leaving the room.

Not daring to move or make noise still, he waited until the heartbeat and shadows dissipated entirely before daring to take a deep breath. Slumping a bit and etting go of the other two, Henry shook his head. The other two looked just as relieved, though Boris still seemed rather shaken. Slowly, Henry rose to peer out from the station seeing nothing left but the inky footprints of the demon in the hallway. He couldn’t help but feel it wasn’t safe… it still seemed off, but it could be his paranoia.

Taking the risk anyways, he pushed open the door to the station, very carefully stepping out and standing up. It was quiet again with nothing but the sound of dripping ink greeting him. Alice and Boris followed then, looking just as cautious and worried as he was. Gesturing for them to follow, Henry moved slowly to the door of the office before peering very carefully, glancing in both directions. The Ink demon was nowhere to be seen.

Finally, he braced himself and started to walk down the hall once more with Alice and Boris following after him quickly. Henry couldn’t shake the feeling that any second now something would go wrong, but all he could hear was dripping ink and the footsteps of he and his friends.

Turning another corner, they were beginning to make their way further from where they’d seen the demon making Henry begin to feel a little hopeful that they’d successfully ditched the danger. However, it was only slight as he couldn’t quite push down the paranoia.

Wading through an ink flooded hall that lead to a form of safety on the other side that didn’t have stations (meaning less of a chance of the demon), Henry finally spoke, but quietly

“You guys alright?... that was really dangerous.”

Alice sighs softly, looking to Boris

“I-I’m okay, just a bit startled… are you okay Boris?”

The wolf nods a little before shrugging; Henry figured he was going to be quite upset about it for a while, but would push through. Reaching the end of the flooded hall, Henry moved one leg to take a step out of the ink, but paused frowning. Alice frowned as well, leaning a bit to see past him

“Is something wrong?”

“I… I don’t know. Something just feels off-”

With a loud burst of ink between the three of them, a horrible half drowned groan erupted into the room making Alice and Henry yell while Boris howled. Turning, Henry came face to face with the single largest searcher he’d ever seen; it had a brown hat on its head, and looked angry. Realizing he was weaponless, Henry grabbed the nearest wood plank and beat it over the head. Unfortunately, it only angered the massive searcher who groaned angrily at him sounding a lot like a clogged machine trying to intake air.

Panicked, Henry scrambled backwards but slipped in the ink and landed on his back roughly; grunting, he held up the wooden plank defensively while closing his eyes and preparing for the worst. However, a long minute passed where nothing happened. 

Opening his eyes again, Henry found the searcher had seemingly… frozen somehow. Looking past it, he saw Alice holding up her hands. The searcher had a shimmering gold aura around it before it bubbled violently suddenly. Then, with a loud howl, it exploded into ink all over the already ink flooded hall drenching all three of them in the process. Blinking, Henry struggled to get up before Alice and Boris took his hands and pulled him up.

Looking to Alice then, Henry huffs quietly in disbelief

“Wh..What was that?? What did you do??”

Frowning, she looks at the ink a bit guiltily

“I-I used my powers on him… Oh, I feel awful! I think we upset him by stepping on him, and I just blew him up!”

Sighing softly, Henry gently pats her shoulder

“Hey, it’s okay; the searchers reform pretty easily, I’m sure he’ll be fine. Let’s just get back to others, alright?...”

Nodding, Alice still looked rather guilty, but they were all safe thanks to her. Pausing outside the inky hall, Henry looked down at all the ink dripping off them; he didn’t want to make the same mistake Norman had long ago and leave inky tracks.

“Alright… any bright ideas how to get this stuff off so we don’t leave a trail?”

Smiling, Alice waves a hand

“Oh, oh! I can help with that!”

Holding up her hands, she closed her eyes and hummed a lovely tune. Within moments, a similar golden aura now shimmered over all three of them. In a literal flash of light, the ink dropped off of them into ringed puddles on the floor circling each of them leaving them clean. Smiling, Henry looks to her

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner you could do things like this?”

“Oh, I try not to overuse my abilities; I’m like Bendy, it makes me very tired!”

“Ah, makes sense. Thanks though… you really saved us back there.”

“Aw, I’d do anything to help my friends! Where would I be without you? You were sweet enough to come looking just for me!”

Smiling, Henry rubs the back of his neck

“Ah, well, I just want to make sure you were safe… and, Boris really wanted to find you. He was pretty worried and the first one to notice you disappeared”

Blinking, Boris looks up in confusion before Alice beams at him, clasping her hands together

“Oh? Did he? You were worried all about me?”

Boris stared blankly before flustering a bit, tugging on his overalls and giving Henry a nervous look. Henry simply smiled right back at him, unable to help but feel a little smug… maybe Bendy had rubbed off on him more than he’d realized. Alice floats over the ring of ink around her to Boris, hugging his arm as she beams at him

“You’re so sweet, Boris!”

Flustering more, the quiet wolf tried to casually whistle and avoid looking at her. Amused, Henry chuckles before stepping carefully over his own ink mess, gesturing for them to follow

“Alright, let’s get going now; the sooner we get back, the better.”

Sighing a bit, Boris nods and carefully steps around the ink after him, the three now making their way back. 

Glancing now and again, Henry found himself grinning from the way Alice was happily floating next to Boris while the wolf was trying his best to not look too embarrassed. He’d almost forgotten how cute his characters were back in the day, especially considering their current situation.

Henry pondered that a bit, thinking how he hoped things would work out for them. He’d hate to leave such innocent beings trapped in a terrible place... in fact, he’d hate to leave  _ anyone _ trapped here. Maybe even Joey, despite it all. But for now, he decided to focus on retracing their way back to the others without getting lost.

And hopefully, the Ink demon wouldn’t be following suit.


	43. The Monster’s Mausoleum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally getting into the vault, Henry and the others discover long forgotten memories hidden away left to collect dust. While searching for potential answers however, Henry comes face to face with the horrible truth of his current reality. Shaken, the revelation leaves him to wonder how far the studio's horrors really go while having to continue facing its current dangers...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: death mention, thanatophobia, mild gore description, injury, horror, existentialism
> 
> Notes: if you don't like depictions of death, avoid the image! it isn't graphic but it can potentially upset those with a phobia around death!

* * *

Finally returning back to the others, Henry was greeted by a particularly… odd sight. There was a mess of parts in the corner that Barley was furiously working on with Tom while Charley and Allison hovered. In front of the vault door however was a very distressed looking Bendy along with Edgar, Sammy, Norman, and Susie who were all staring at a massive pile of keys. Blinking, Henry made his way over

“...What happened while I was gone??”

Bendy looks up then, running over excitedly and jumping onto Henry with a hug

“Henry!! Oh, I’m glad ta see ya; we tried reachin’ ya with the comms, butcha didn’t answer!! What happened?! Did ya find Alice??”

Frowning a bit, Henry gently pulls off the little demon setting him down before taking out the communication device. Testing it, he found surely enough its battery had died.

“Oh. The battery died… guess that’s not good. And yes, we found Alice; we also found something else.”

Susie huffs, still staring at the keys

“It wouldn’t be another stinkin’ key, would it?”

Smirking a bit, Henry sighs

“No, not a key. Boris?”

The wolf blinks before dumping all the many cans of soup they’d collected to the floor. Almost instantly, a blur of black and white (well, what would be if not for the sepia lighting) darted past Henry. Wobbling a little, he looks down finding Bendy had attacked one of them and was desperately trying to pry it open. Snorting, he turns to the little demon

“Aren’t you going to say anything to Alice?”

“Oh- Glad yer okay Alice! Where the heck didja go???”

“I got a bit lost looking for Henry’s sword… but he and Boris found me!~”

Pausing mid biting his can, Bendy slowly turns his head and squints at Boris realizing Alice was hugging his arm

“Uh-huh…”

Boris blinks at that, holding up his hands defensively as Bendy continued squinting at him while Alice only snuggled his arm more not making the situation better.

Before anything could escalate, Henry took the can from Bendy and pulled it open, handing it back to distract the demon. Thankfully, it worked as he happily focused on the soup. Walking over to the key pile then, Henry frowns and sighs

“Well… guess we need to start trying them all. This… is going to take a while.”

Picking up the first one, Henry inspects it before looking around to the others

“Everyone start grabbing keys. Any of them that don’t work, put in a new pile”

Slowly, they started going through many of the keys, concerning Henry a bit; if they didn’t even have the right one, then what were these all even  _ for _ ? What if they’d accidentally pulled something important? He really hoped they hadn’t pulled a key Joey would absolutely notice was missing.

Nearby, Bendy was watching them while both he and Boris were busy emptying cans of soup and being rather unhelpful. Holding up what felt like the millionth key, Henry looks over to them

“Can you guys save some of that? The rest of us could use food too, and we should ration it for later.”

Swallowing, Bendy shrugs

“Hey, ya coulda said so sooner!”

Sighing, Henry shakes his head trying yet another key and tossing it in the reject pile

“You could also bother to help try the keys too…”

“What, an’ miss out all the fun of watchin’? No way!”

Giving him an unamused look, Henry prepares to say a snide remark before Susie chimes in

“Henry, this is the last one.”

Frowning, he looks over

“Really? I hope it’s the  _ right _ one then…” 

Taking the key, he nervously moves it to the lock; who knew how many more keys were in the studio? They’d even managed to accidentally pull Wally’s closet keys.

Pressing the key into the lock, Henry felt hopeful at first when it seemed to fit only for it to jam. Cursing quietly, he struggles to pull it back out before tossing it with a clank to the reject pile.

“Great… seemingly a hundred keys, and not a single one of them worked.”

He turns to Bendy, who holds his hands up 

“Hey, don’ look at me! I toldja I dunno what it looks like!”

Sighing heavily, Henry slumps against the door uselessly yanking on the handle

“How’re we going to get in now?...”

Sammy huffs, shrugging

“Well, maybe you can try asking it nicely…communication  _ is _ key, right?”

Snickering, the music director earned a punch to his shoulder from several of the others making him exclaim an ‘ow!’ before rubbing it and glaring. Rolling his eyes, Henry stands up straight as Bendy bounces up from his can pile with a smile

“Hey, never hurts ta try!”

Henry gives him a funny look

“Uh… I don’t think that’s going to work”

“Well, we won’t know if we don’t try!”

Clearing his throat then, Bendy holds his hand out to the door

“Can ya please let us in?”

The room went silent besides Barley and Tom working on the speaking device, but the door sat unmoving. Bendy’s expression drops looking grouchy then

“Oh, that’s just cold! I even said please! The nerve!”

“Bendy, it’s a door-”

“That’s it! I’m breakin’ in! If yer gonna be rude, ya get treated rude!”

“Bendy-”

The little demon held up his arm regardless, letting it melt and become ink before shoving it into the lock. Sticking his tongue out in concentration, he seemed to be reaching inside the door before Henry heard a resounding click that echoed loudly. Beaming, Bendy pulls his arm back out, shaking it off to return it to normal.

Staring, Henry pulls on the handle feeling it start to turn; pausing, he looks over to Bendy staring even harder. Bendy blinks, looking back to him

“What?”

“ _ You couldn’t have done that in the FIRST place?! _ ”

Holding up his hands, Bendy grimaces

“I-I didn’t think about it ‘til just now!! Plus toon gimmicks usually only work when It’s funny!”

“ _ BENDY- _ ”

“Hey, do ya wanna see inside or what?!”

Henry wheezes, dragging his hands down his face while the others snicker. Norman shakes his head, grabbing the vault door’s handle himself now, slowly pulling it open with loud clanking. Allison walks over, speaking to Henry

“Finally got that door open?”

“Yeah, unfortunately…”

“Huh? I thought you wanted to open it?”

“Yeah, I just wish we’d figured out how  _ sooner _ ”

Bendy gives him another shrug, smiling; Henry loved the little demon, but currently, he was thinking about squishing him. Just a little.

However, Henry immediately forgot about his frustration as Norman started to swing the door open. Moving aside, they all watched as a large dark entryway opened before them. Naturally, there was no light inside. Squinting, Henry steps forward, standing in the frame

“Anyone got a light?”

Next to him, a small click sounded off followed by a beam of light; Edgar had turned on a flashlight for him. Looking down, Henry watched the striker limp inside curiously as he and the others followed after. Glancing around, Henry could see dozens of shelves stacked high with boxes upon boxes, as well as books, framed photos, and things from when the company was first starting up.

Several other flashlights clicked on then as Edgar passed them out, everyone curiously investigating now. Allison blows off a book, looking at it curiously

“It’s an old manuscript… something unpublished, maybe?”

Henry picks up a reel from a box, looking at it curiously; it was unlabelled, so he wasn’t sure what it was. Behind him, he hears Edgar speak

“I found a tape recorder. Anyone see any tapes?”

Norman pulls a box from a shelf, carefully setting it down in front of Sammy who opens it. Furrowing his brow, the music director holds up a tape before speaking

“Yeah… dozens. They’re all labeled with dates, but no name…”

Norman looks closer at it, curious

“They’re from before any of us worked here, that’s for sure…”

Henry turns to them

“Well, go ahead and play it then. Let’s see what it is.”

Sammy hands the tape to Edgar, who pops it into the player while they continued investigating the shelves. To Henry’s surprise, he hears his own voice start to echo in the vault…

“We published the first cartoon of our new studio! I was so excited to debut my first real project, I hardly slept the night before the showing. I almost slept in and missed out because of it, but thankfully Joey called like crazy to make sure I didn’t miss it. The best part? Everybody  _ loved _ it; they loved Bendy! I can’t wait to share more of him with the public… which I guess means It’s back to work for me. One down, so many  _ more  _ to come!”

Henry looks over, getting some curious expressions from the others; he shrugs, looking to Sammy

“Guess it’s old stuff. Play another one”

Browsing the shelves, he pauses next to Boris who had pulled a framed photo down and wiped it clean. Henry frowns a bit, realizing it was him and Joey when they’d first bought the studio. As the second tape plays, he hears his voice again…

“It’s finally happened. We bought our own studio! Man, I never knew my wildest dreams could become reality! It took a lot of work and saving up, but me and Joey managed to get just enough- Joey of course helped by using his talent of persuasion to lower the price, though. I’d always hoped for this day… I just never thought it’d really come. But now… well, we can start to make more dreams come true”

Having looked at many of the framed photos, Henry realized that all of them had him in them. Showings of their cartoons… public events and parties… even him with Joey, and a woman he couldn’t recognize. Yet, seeing her face haunted him… she was the woman he’d sometimes see in his dreams at times.

His thoughts were disturbed by another tape that was him again; were they all his recordings?...

“It’s been raining a lot lately, but I haven’t felt a single bit gloomier from it. If anything, it’s inspired me to do a cute short with Bendy and an umbrella; I just hope Joey likes it. Funny enough, Joey has been acting rather sunny despite it too. I know It’s just for public show though... he’s a real grouch when nobody’s looking. Man… I hope he doesn’t hear this. Joey, if you’re listening, lighten up a little will you? There’s always some sun after the rain!”

Henry felt oddly exposed somehow as the more he looked through the things, the more he was realizing a theme to the room… everything in the vault was related to him. Everyone’s attention was also drawing to him, and it made him even more uncomfortable. Allison speaks next to him, startling him a little

“Henry, are you okay? You’ve been staring at that photo for a while…”

Shaking his head a little, he looks to her

“It’s fine; I just… it’s a little strange. I don’t know how to feel about-”

Sammy, having rummaged in the box of tapes loudly, holds one up loudly exclaiming;

“Ah-hah! Found one that isn’t Henry! It says it’s from Joey.”

Norman leans over him, snorting softly

“That says  _ to  _ Joey, Sammy…”

Sammy squints a bit then, frowning

“Ah… you’re right.”

Henry frowns himself, turning

“Hey, wait-”

Susie takes the tape, putting it in the player 

“Oops! too late”

Henry gave her a look as the tape started to play, but to his relief it wasn’t the one he’d thought it was. However, it wasn’t exactly one he’d dream of hearing again… nor one he ever wanted to.

“Unfortunately, this… is going to be my last recording here. At least, at this studio as an employee. Things got a bit out of hand and escalated… I can’t stay here anymore”

As the tape plays, Henry opens a box on a lower shelf, frowning at a bunch of his old letters he’d sent Joey after having left the studio. Picking one up slowly, the tape continued behind him

“...Not only have I been working longer hours to reach even more ridiculous deadlines, I’ve been making myself sick doing so. It’s like Joey hardly sees me as more than his ‘workhorse’ anymore...”

Allison touches his shoulder, looking concerned; dropping the letter, he quietly backs away from her only for his heel to bump into something solid 

“...Like i’d mentioned in a previous tape, Joey really loves to take more than his fair share. And I mean  _ really _ take. Well, I can’t  _ take _ it anymore…”

Turning, Henry looks down at a strange box-shaped elongated object covered with a dusty cloth. Furrowing his brow, he kneels by it touching the solid surface beneath the cover

“...I’m leaving. Joey’s not going to be happy, but  _ /I/ _ want to be happy. I want a family… a life that isn’t just the studio and what I can do for it anymore. I have a feeling though that Joey’s not going to want to let me go… in fact, he might never  _ actually _ let me go…”

Taking hold of the cloth, Henry yanked it with several loud clatters as various frames and books were knocked away from on top of it. What lay beneath made Henry freeze in place, staring with a settling coldness

“...Afterall, Joey’s never been good at letting go. In some way, I feel like even after i’m gone, I’ll never be able to truly leave the studio. It’s almost like I’m leaving a bit of my soul behind… I just hope it won’t come back to haunt me.”

With a loud echoing click, the recorder stopped playing. The room filled with a heavy silence as everyone turned to see what Henry had uncovered. Nobody spoke, nor seemed to dare even make a sound. Slowly, Henry knelt by the object he’d uncovered. 

It was a coffin.

Allison spoke very quietly then, breaking the silence;

“Henry?...”

Not responding, he took hold of the lid feeling his heart beating hard. Bendy speaks up then, moving closer but keeping some distance

“H-hey, ya don’t gotta do that Henry…”

However, even without saying it, Bendy knew Henry had to; he had to see who it was. Though, he felt he already knew. He just didn’t want to believe it.

Pushing and pulling on the lid, Henry struggled to open it, but it was sealed thoroughly. Standing, he looks over to Tom who had finally joined them with Barley, both standing in the doorway.

“I need your axe.”

Tom gives him a look of concern when Sammy steps forward a little, speaking

“You can’t just break it-”

“I’m not. I’m going to try and pry it open.”

“Henry, you really shouldn’t-”

“I have to. Tom?”

Tom looked uncomfortable, glancing to Allison who was frowning. With a sigh, Tom pulled his axe from his belt anyways before offering it to Henry who took it. Turning back to the coffin now, Henry tried to ignore the ring of silent watchful eyes as he started forcing the lid open.

With more effort and struggle, it finally came loose enough for him to lift it. Setting the axe down quickly with a loud clank, Henry took hold of the lid when Susie spoke this time;

“Are you  _ really _ sure you want to do this? I mean- this can’t be good for  _ any  _ of us.”

“I’m sure. I need to know.”

Frowning, she looks away crossing her arms. All around, everyone looked worried, but Henry’s face was blank. Taking hold of the lid, he took a deep breath and a pause before lifting it open.

Gasping, he dropped the lid with a loud resounding clatter to the side of the coffin. Staring, he felt as if everything had suddenly changed; his mind was racing, his body numb and cold, and a whole calamity of emotions hitting him at once. Scared, shocked, disgusted, horrified, betrayed, nauseous, and just plain... broken.

Inside the coffin, somehow seemingly untouched by time not showing signs of decay, was... him. Old, gray, and aged as he’d always remembered being unlike his current younger looking ‘form’. This was the real him.

Joey hadn’t let him leave the studio, afterall.

He couldn’t let him go.

He was dead.

Not only this, but the ‘him’ in the coffin had his sweater stitched shut over the same shoulder he had injured now… the stains were likely red before, but looked like the ink in the colorless world. 

Taking deep almost gasping breaths, Henry felt as if he couldn’t breathe; his hands were gripping the side of the coffin so hard he figured they’d be shaking if he let go. Allison quickly kneels next to him then, gently touching his shoulder

“Henry… just- just Try and breathe. I know this is probably beyond anything you’ve handled before, but you have to try and breathe”

Staring at his own self, laying there lifeless and gray and old as he used to be, Henry was finding it hard to even believe he was ‘alive’ at all right now. Allison tries speaking to him again, a little more urgently

“Henry, can you hear me? You have to breathe-”

Inhaling suddenly then, Henry let go of the coffin before scrambling to his feet and away from it. He was unable to tear his gaze away however. Feeling himself shaking, he wished for once that he could run and get far away from everyone and everything as possible. Bendy speaks then, walking a bit closer to him again...

“H-Henry? Are you okay?...”

His mouth felt dry, and it seemed almost impossible for him to speak; he tries though, his voice as shaken as he was

“H-he couldn’t let me… H-He… He..”

Putting his hands to his head, Henry closes his eyes tightly; nearby, he could hear the others quickly reclosing the coffin. Several others approach him, including Allison, Tom, Bendy, and Boris. Allison speaks softly, holding a hand out towards him

“Henry, I’m sorry…”

“I should’ve known… I… It all makes sense. He never could…”

Boris whines loudly, wanting to comfort him, but Henry could tell he was keeping a distance to try and not impose on him. Taking more deep breaths, Henry looks up and around at them, feeling a bit cornered. Backing away, he slowly shakes his head

“I-I remember… I remember now. He wanted me back… he couldn’t let me go… He never wanted to let me  _ leave. _ H-he… he  _ killed _ me? Oh, god...”

Allison speaks again, clearly trying her best to help him; unfortunately, Henry felt it wasn’t exactly going to happen.

“Henry, I’m so sorry... Joey’s done a lot of terrible things... I can’t imagine how you’re feeling right now, but you must be terrified. Frightened by the reality of your own death… I think we can all relate a little. But It’s okay- You’re going to be okay”

“ _ How? _ Th-this whole time… this  _ whole _ time, I’ve been  _ dead! _ He  _ murdered _ me, trapped me in this- this  _ Hell _ , then hid it all away! I should have known… I should have known!”

Bendy’s eyes well up as the little demon looks ready to cry, gazing up at Henry

“B-but yer still here! Yer not  _ really _ dead, j-just… not in the same body! Ya still have yer soul!”

Henry stares down at Bendy, feeling his own eyes starting to burn; all of his emotions were starting to narrow down to one he hadn’t let himself feel in a long time. Hopeless.

“The real me is  _ dead _ , Bendy. I-I finally understand how you all feel… How the lost ones feel... I remember. I remember what Joey  _ did... _ ”

Norman moves over, holding up his hands

“Hold up, Henry; why don’t you take some more deep breaths, and we can all try to calm down-”

“None of us are  _ real! _ ”

“Hey now, that’s not-”

“It is true! I remember now!”

Henry’s mind flashed back rather suddenly and vividly then, seeing it play before his eyes as he spoke;

Joey had gouged him with an axe, leaving it embedded in his upper left shoulder and chest. He was gasping for air, bleeding profusely on the floor before the machine as he watched with horror at what Joey had done.

“H-He killed everyone… everyone! Then he took out their  _ souls _ . I watched it…”

Joey had dropped a dead employee next to Henry, using some unnatural device that had pulled a glowing essence from them. Then…

“He u-used this… this  _ thing _ to take out the souls. I watched him put them in the machine... Then the machine tried to copy it… it tried, but…”

Before him, the machine groaned and gurgled horribly before spitting out ink that pooled in its tray. The ink bubbled before a screaming deformed figure clawed out of it, trying to grab at Henry who couldn’t scream as his own throat was filling with blood

“He put us in the machine… every last one of us, because he couldn’t let go! He had to keep it all, he had to keep  _ everyone _ . H-he had to keep...  _ me _ ”

He was gasping for air, unable to breathe; he was panicking, so terrified of death. Yet, Joey seemed cold and uncaring at first, gazing on him with apathy. Then, the strangest thing happened- Joey kneeled by him, his face becoming soft with an almost loving expression as he whispered to him…

“He told me… he told me he couldn’t let it go. He had to keep it- keep  _ us _ \- forever. He told me he’d never let me go. H-He took my soul…”

Struggling, Henry wept as he couldn’t get air, unable to do anything but panic as Joey held him and spoke, caressing him despite the horror of the situation.

‘Don’t struggle, old friend… soon, you’ll be able to live free- free from all of it! From the pain, the worry, the illness- you’ll never have to worry again because you’ll be  _ immortal! _ You’ll be with me  _ forever _ ! Don’t you want to be  _ free _ Henry? I can save you; I can save everything!...’

In that moment however, Henry had managed to power through his injuries finally to say his last words

“I-I told him… I was dying, and I told him…”

‘ _ You can never... be free. as long as you let... the past... haunt you. I already let you go, Joey. please… let /me/ go. _ ’

Joey looked angry, shaking him causing him to gasp with pain in fear as he yelled;

‘ _ NO! The studio, the machine- it’s all we’ve ever needed! It’s all we ever WILL need! We’ll live forever, never having to let our success crumble! _ ’

Staring blankly, Henry felt so weak…

‘ _ You talk… about saving. Saving… everyone, the studio. Saving me… but the real one you need to save… is yourself. _ ’

Joey had become cold again at that, and shouted; shouted so loudly and angrily, thrown things, cursed everything and cursed Henry. Then, the last thing Henry remembered was a bright glowing light before darkness took him...

Holding his head, Henry’s eyes teared up; the dismay was so strong, he could hardly hold it anymore. Bendy sniffs, quietly speaking

“Henry?...”

Closing his eyes, Henry takes a shaky breath 

“None of us are alive… None of us are real. We’re all copies… Ink copies. The real us, the real me… they’re… gone. They’ve been gone this whole time. For so long, I’ve wondered why I couldn’t  _ remember _ things anymore; why it all felt so faded, and so distorted… It’s because they were never really  _ my _ memories.”

Bendy sniffs much louder this time, prompting Henry to open his eyes; the little demon was crying heavily. Slowly, Henry sank down in the half ring of his friends feeling heavy with his own grief. The little demon ran over, clinging to him tightly in a hug as Henry continued to speak while staring listlessly into the space past them all

“I was never really here. I was never really him… I’m just a faded memory that Joey refused to let go. That’s why he wouldn’t let me leave. If I left… I wouldn’t exist. Outside of this place… outside of him… I’m nothing. None of us are… All of the bodies I found… none of us escaped.”

Feeling tears running down his own face, Henry slowly started to finally lose his composure. Holding Bendy closer, he wept. How had he been able to keep it down so long? How many times had he told himself he had to just keep going- to just keep drawing?

The weeping devolved into sobbing then, as Henry finally let it in; his frustration, his pain, his fear. The horrors he’d witnessed, and the many times he’d tried and failed. The many painful times he’d had to claw his way back out of the ink and keep pushing forward only for it to start again. This fake studio, full of monsters and broken dreams. Escape was  _ never _ in his reach… he was never actually close to ever being free. He wasn’t even  _ real _ .

And worst of all, he’d never be able to leave.

Around him, the others started to sit down and try to comfort him, but they too were struck with the incredibly heartbreaking revelation about Henry and themselves. All of them were just copies and fading memories floating in inky ‘bodies’ that were hardly bodies at all. All of them were dead in the real world.

Henry’s display of hopelessness and grief seemed to have spread. Sammy held onto Norman who began silently comforting him. Susie became reserved and solemn with the butcher gang trying to console her, but they looked just as hurt. Allison was looking to Tom with an expression Henry knew was worry before they too embraced. Boris and Alice both approached silently and solemnly, sitting near Henry and Bendy.

After several agonizing minutes of crying his heart out, Henry took deep stuttering breaths trying to finally regain a hold of himself, just barely managing to do so. The others hadn’t moved to stop him at least which Henry was secretly glad for; he didn’t want them to. Looking up at the ceiling, he quietly spokeagain

“Is this what you  _ wanted _ , Joey? A painful shadow of your life?! Tortured souls who you’ll never let move on?... What kind of Hell did you make? Was it really better than letting the studio go?”

Feeling all three of his cartoon friends squeeze him, Henry takes another deep breath

“A-all I wanted was to make things right… to help set you all free. But even if I find a way, how can I be free myself?… as long as I’m Joey’s memory, I can’t get away from him. I can’t leave…”

The room fell silent again, nobody daring to move. Henry had spent so long trying to avoid letting negative feelings get to him, but this… this was a whole new level.

Sammy sniffs then, wiping his eyes aggressively with his sleeves before shouting and startling them all

“NO! Th-This can’t be it! This can’t just be the end! I won’t let it be! So what if we’re dead?! So what!”

Norman gently holds him, speaking sternly

“Sammy-”

“No! Dammit, wasn’t it you who told me that even if I’m not the old Sammy, I can still make something of this?! You told me that no matter what, I was still Sammy as long as I believed it! W-We don’t have to be some- some  _ memories! _ ”

Looking to Henry with a mixture of anger and some kind of defiance, Sammy continues;

“We may be ink, but we’re not  _ nothing _ . You said yourself that he put our souls in the machine. Joey proved that he has bits of them! If we have our souls, then who cares if our bodies are ‘real’ or not? It’s the essence of who we are that matters! A-and nobody can take  _ that _ from us!”

Taking a deep breath then, he pauses before offering his hand to Henry

“Henry… you told us to never give up hope. You taught us to hold onto it, no matter how bad things got. And now, I’m extending that same sentiment to  _ you _ . You may not be the person you were before, but you’re still  _ you _ . You can still be you! I know it’s not easy- I mean, who just walks away from realizing they’re dead? I know I didn’t… but Joey can only keep us here if we give in to this madness! so damn it, let’s prove him wrong and show him that you’re stronger than him- that you’re more than just his memory!”

Staring, Henry felt tears falling from his face, speechless. Sammy sighs then, crouching before him

“We’ll make it out of here, and we’ll do it  _ together _ , okay? You can, and you  _ will _ leave this place because you’re the single kindest, strongest, most empathetic and hopeful soul I’ve  _ ever _ met. I’ll be damned before I let you or anyone else suffer more at the hands of this monster! You can still make things right… and you have all of us here to help you do so. Don’t give up this easily, Henry… this isn’t the end.  _ We  _ can still make this right.”

Standing again, Sammy re-extends his hand to Henry. Slowly, Henry reaches out and grasps it firmly; he stands up holding Bendy with his other arm, staring eye to eye with Sammy. Blinking away a few last tears, Henry feels himself manage to finally breathe again

“...You’re right. I’m sorry, I just… Bendy was right. I kept pretending nothing was wrong, that I didn’t feel pain and fear because I was so scared of it consuming me… I forced myself to focus on keeping you guys going instead. I’m not… I’m not the stoic, strong person I tried convincing myself to be...”

Closing his eyes, Sammy sighs softly before opening them again with a determined look

“Henry, you  _ are _ strong. You don’t have to be an emotionless machine to be strong; if anything, the fact that you can still find a way to smile after everything here is beyond strong. You used your hope and kindness to bring us together because you believed in making things right. It’s only fair I try to give you the kindness you extended to me, and to everyone here. Just like you told Bendy before, you don’t have to do things alone. Don’t hide your pain, don’t pretend… let us help you get through it.”

Henry was rather surprised at the sincerity of Sammy’s words, but… it made him feel warm. The music director had transformed so thoroughly from the obsessive worshipper who felt no sympathy for others to… this. A friend. Someone he could rely on.

“Sammy…”

“I think I speak for everyone here when I say this; we’re in this together, and we’ll be here when you need us.”

Bendy sniffs loudly then, wiping his own eyes

“Jeeze, yer gonna make  _ both _ of us cry more if ya keep it up, Sammy!”

From nearby, Susie responds, fanning herself a bit having surprisingly cried herself

“Jeeze Sammy… didn’t know you had it in you to be a huge caring  _ sap _ ”

Sammy puffs a bit, looking to her

“Well, I- I just… I know I pretend I don’t, but I really  _ do _ care, a lot! All of you are my friends- I might as well say it at least  _ once _ so you know it. Also, I  _ know _ how it feels; to find out that you were living a lie, and your reality gets flipped around so harshly and suddenly you feel exposed and alone. I… I don’t want anyone else to feel that way.”

Susie sighs, smiling before coming closer with the butcher gang following

“Well… It’s good to hear. And, you  _ are _ right; I’d like to make changes from the way I was before… so it couldn’t hurt to try helping people feel better than making them miserable for once. I’ve never met a group of weirder, tackier people in my life that drove me up the wall… but, I think I’m a better person for it; I’m glad I did.”

Norman snorts softly, crossing his arms

“Well… I gotta say I’m impressed hearin’ all this from  _ you _ two. But, I think we’ve all changed… thanks to each other, and thanks to Henry. I meant to show some gratitude and caring sooner, but... It’s kinda hard to express when I don’t have a face.”

Henry suddenly couldn’t help it; maybe it was the shock of finding his body, but he chuckled at that making the three of them look at him. Norman snorts again, shaking his head

“Alright, yeah, laugh it up mr.has-a-face. Real funny.”

“I’m sorry- I didn’t mean…”

“Heh, ‘salright. I’m just glad we’re helpin’ ya feel somewhat better… right?”

“Yeah… thanks.”

Henry was surprised once more when the butcher gang approached him, albeit looking cautious about it. However, Charley broke free from it smiling warmly (though, his sharp toothy smile could be taken as menacing almost)

“Mister Stein… We haven’t had the pleasure to really get to know ya super well, but ya  _ did _ help us and our angel several times over! Plus, we got ta meet Bendy who’s a real riot!”

Barley nods quietly in agreement, whispering a small ‘thanks’ before Edgar sighs and takes a step forward

“Time and time again we have had to face and overcome many difficult situations… but you still managed to help us pull through. And, you continue lending your hand even when you have your own pain. I have never met a more chivalrous individual… I must applaud you.”

He looks to Bendy then, who blinks curiously

“Also, thanks to you, Bendy learned his own morality enough so he spared us in his anger and upset when you were not conscious to do so for him. Your effect is quite apparent, and for that I am glad… afterall, I would not have gotten to know him as a good friend if he had considered otherwise”

Bendy snorts a little, smiling down at Edgar from Henry’s arms

“Yeah, well… Henry’s just good at makin’ ya have to think twice! Sometimes.”

Feeling surprised still at the sentiments from the butcher gang, Henry sighs softly

“Thanks, Edgar… I didn’t expect this from you three, but… well, I won’t lie. Like anything related to Bendy, I feel somewhat connected to you all as well.”

Edgar nods at that, still looking to Bendy before Allison and Tom finally join them, Allison speaking while holding Tom’s hand

“I may not have been able to know you all the longest- at least I don’t remember if I did- but I’m glad I do at all. Henry… you have every right to feel pain like the rest of us; I mean, look at what you’ve been through, not to mention  _ alone _ . Tom will never say it… but we both think you’re not only brave, but the hope we’ve always needed. Also, we’re glad you brought us together with everyone else.”

Tom blinks before huffing at her looking embarrassed, but Allison simply smiles at him making him pout a little and hug her.

Alice angel and Boris move to either side of Henry then, Alice smiling while Boris signs

‘We don’t mind if you’re ink; it just makes you more like us. We love you, Henry!’

At that, Henry feels his mouth twitch into a smile before huffing a small laugh and crying tears again, but this time they were a mix of his pain and joy. Bendy frowns, sighing

“You’re one hell of an emotional old man, ya know that?... but… I love ya just the way ya are.”

Very quietly, Henry hears Bendy practically mumble something at the end of his sentence he didn’t catch.

“Sorry… what was that?”

“I-I said I love ya!”

“Yes, but you mumbled something after that… what was it?”

Puffing with embarrassment, Bendy looked a bit distraught before sighing loudly

“UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGHdad!”

“What-”

“I LOVE YOU, DAD! ARE YA HAPPY NOW?!”

Pouting profusely, Bendy crossed his arms as Henry snorted before bursting out laughing, the others smiling as well. Bendy can’t help but smile a bit too despite it, likely glad to see Henry feeling better. Sighing softly, Henry hugs Bendy close snuggling the little demon who beams now, cuddling him back.

“I love you too, Bendy…”

Henry looks to the others, wiping his eyes with his free hand

“I think it’s safe to say we should get out of here… It’s kind of creepy being surrounded by my old stuff, and… well, the coffin. I didn’t really mean to make this an emotional situation...”

Sammy sighs, giving a small smile

“It’s only fair. It’s not every day you stumble on something like this… don’t feel bad for it, alright? But… I will admit, I am just a  _ little _ creeped out. I’m more than ready to leave.”

Allison holds up a hand then however, looking to a box of reels

“Wait! I just got an idea; Henry, you said the Ink demon was being fed lies and hurtful memories by Joey earlier, right? What if we can find good things to show him? Maybe we can use these to get through to him?”

Blinking, Henry looks to Bendy curiously

“Do you think that could work? I remember him mentioning looking up at me from the page I created you on…”

Bendy shrugs a little

“I dunno, but it couldn’t hurt ta try; just grab anythin’ sappy an’ happy! Maybe It’ll make him be less grouchy”

Nodding, Henry tries to set Bendy down, but the demon clings to him before climbing onto his back

“Nuh-uh! I don’t wanna be put down!”

“Bendy, you’re not a child-”

“I don’t wanna!! I just- I don’t.”

Sighing, Henry smiles at him over his shoulder; he didn’t expect Bendy to be the clingy type, but here he was. In a way, he found it rather endearing... though it could become a problem later on. He’d have to figure something out when it came to that. He turns back to Allison then;

“Let’s start looking for anything positive. I’m certain there’s something in here we’ll be able to use… Like Bendy said, it doesn’t hurt to try.”

As Bendy clung to his back, Henry and the rest of their group began looking for anything positive they could use to persuade the Ink demon. Henry couldn’t help but pause every now and again though, still feeling deeply disturbed and heartbroken staring at the coffin. The chilling knowledge that he was practically dead wasn’t going to leave him so easily; Sammy’s speech had helped, but he was still barely managing to push through at the moment.

Picking up an old record, Henry blows dust off of it coughing a bit; Bendy leans over his shoulder curiously, head practically nuzzled against the side of Henry’s.

“What’s that?”

“Some old record… Joey used to play a lot of music either in his office, or the art department for me while i worked.”

“Did he have good taste?”

Huffing a bit, Henry smiles at Bendy

“Sometimes. Other times he would play the sappiest emotional music I’ve ever heard…”

Snorting, Bendy smirks a little

“Yeah, as if ya didn’t love it bein’ a huge sap yerself…”

Rolling his eyes, Henry sighs

“Alright, you got me there.”

Bendy tilts his head curiously then

“Well, ya wanna try playin’ it? Maybe it has songs when ya drew me!”

“Huh, maybe… Hey, anyone seen a record player?”

Charley loudly speaks up from high up on a shelf, making Henry look up feeling a bit nervous for the piper

“Yeah! There was one right- what the… hey, where’d it go??”

Suddenly, everything began to loudly rumble; without warning, the entire room shook around them sending boxes (and Charley) flying. Covering Bendy protectively, Henry braced himself as several boxes collided with and bruised him. Slowly, things calmed down and the rumbling ceased; looking up and uncovering a very frightened Bendy, Henry calls out

“Is everyone okay??”

Looking next to him, Henry flinches noticing his coffin had come careening right over to him. Feeling disturbed, he pushes it away a bit as Charley pops up out of a pile of boxes and junk, sneering

“Yeah, still alive!”

Allison glances around, struggling to her feet 

“Everyone seems okay... What  _ was _ that? I’ve never encountered it before”

Frowning, Henry shakes his head watching everyone check one another

“I don’t know. I’ve experienced it before in the loop… I don’t even know what caused it then either, though. It always made me suffer weird memory flashes though…”

Susie groans, rubbing her back

“It wouldn’t have to do with what Joey said about this place getting unstable, would it?”

Frowning, Henry looks to Bendy who frowns back

“I really hope not…”

Bendy snorts, looking at the mess

“How’re we supposed to find the record player now?...”

As if on cue, Henry suddenly hears the crackling and popping of a record playing behind him. Whatever record was being played, it was skipping and repeating the same line over and over…

“ _ Just friends- Just Friends- Just Friends- _ ”

Several of the others turn and gasp, prompting Henry to slowly turn around as well. Standing in the doorway, blocking the only way out and twitching menacingly, the Ink demon had finally found them. On the floor under him was the record player, playing a single very scratched up record that Henry realized had the unmistakable claw marks of the demon.

With a loud interrupting scratch, the record player stopped playing entirely, leaving them in a silent standoff. Then, the demon spoke; his voice was yet again that terrible layered and evil sounding voice that was nothing like the singing they’d heard earlier…

“ _ So… it seems you’ve been busy breaking into places you don’t belong… _ ”

Twitching his head so it was tilted, it felt as if he was looking directly into Henry’s eyes

“ _ Don’t you know wandering is a terrible sin?... _ ”


	44. Need to Know Basis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Found by the Ink demon once more, Henry is surprise when he has an unusual request from them- exchange of information for their lives... at least for now. Now, Henry has to recount the past he remembers to everyone with the hope it'll satisfy the demon's curiosity...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none
> 
> Notes: only one drawing this time for chapter 45. Still trying to keep up with posting these but yeah, they'll arrive as they do!

* * *

From behind Henry, Sammy cursed angrily throwing some papers

“Damn it!! Why does this keep happening?! I’m  _ not _ dying like this-  _ none _ of us should! It’s BULL SH-”

Chuckling, the demon cut him off as he straightened up, silhouetted ominously by the lights outside the vault room.

“ _ Oh, don’t worry; I’m not here to kill you… not yet. No... there’s something else I want that Joey refuses to give me _ ”

Feeling cold fear, Henry glances over his shoulder to Bendy who seemed as afraid and upset as he was. Sighing, Henry decides to boldly face the demon

“Just tell us. What do you want?”

Looking to Henry curiously, the Ink demon held up his right inky and peculiarly humanoid hand. Then, a bright glowing shard of light illuminated the entire room making Henry freeze. Smiling coldly, the Ink demon looks to it before glancing back to Henry

“ _ It seems you understand what this is… don’t you? _ ”

“A soul piece.”

“ _ Ah, right you are! And not just /any/ soul piece… but I won’t spoil that just yet. First, I need to know. _ ”

Swallowing, Henry furrows his brow

“Know what?”

Edgar huffs from nearby, taking a step forward only to get pulled back by Susie as he speaks angrily

“Enough games! Just get to your point, demon!”

Sneering, the Ink demon took a step into the vault, the whole room flooding with his inky shadows threatening to touch and dissolve them. Everyone moved away from the walls, forced to huddle out of harm’s reach.

“ _ Why did you leave, Henry? What was the truth? I have to know! _ ”

“And if I don’t tell you?...”

“ _ I’ll kill all of your friends. Then, i’ll /force/ it out of you! _ ”

Sighing, Henry looks to Bendy who was shaking a little

“H-Henry, can’t ya just tell ‘im?? Is it that secret an’ important?”

Grimacing a bit, Henry glances to the others who seemed unnerved and at various levels of anger, before looking to the Ink demon

“I mean… it depends on who you ask.”

The Ink demon’s grin twitches slightly wider in a cruel way as he gets impatient

“ _ Tell me already, or i’ll tear their souls out! _ ”

Sighing, Henry rubs the back of his neck

“Alright… I’ll tell you. But I have to admit something… It’s… not exactly the answer you probably expect, nor one that’s actually all that important to you.”

“ _ Doesn’t matter; speak! _ ”

Closing his eyes, Henry felt conflicted as he tried going through the memories left over from his previous life. They were still muddled, but some of them were clear enough he could feel them…

“It had to do with Joey. He and I…”

Sighing, Henry felt reluctant, but the Ink demon snarled impatiently

“ _ What?? He and you what?! _ ”

Opening his eyes again, Henry frowns

“He and I used to be together.”

Staring blankly, the Ink demon’s grin had fallen as his posture slumps a bit.

“ _ You… what? _ ”

Behind him, Henry hears Sammy shout

“YOU WHAT?! HENRY-”

Flushing with embarrassment, Henry tenses as Susie exclaims loudly

“Oh,  _ gross! _ Henry, honey, you should have MUCH higher standards than  _ that _ .”

Sammy scoffs, giving her a look

“Hey, weren’t you thinking of doing it yourself?-”

“What?! EW! NO! I was going to use his emotions for promotions!”

“Oh, that’s  _ much _ classier Susie-”

Norman cuts in then,

“ _ Gross! _ You’d flirt with him for money?! I’m not even bothered by the money part, it’s the  _ Joey _ part I don’t like!”

Susie scoffs back at him

“EW? I wasn’t going to even  _ touch _ him; I just wanted to be friendly so he’d do things like buy me jewelry! Just because I’m an attractive woman-”

Allison speaks up suddenly as Tom grunts

“Guys, this is  _ super _ inappropriate and off topic!”

Susie snorts again, sounding amused

“Oh, Allison, why do you think he hired you? After all, I think he liked pretty young women-”

“STOP! NOPE. DON’T EVEN GO THERE!”

Covering his face with both hands, Henry groans loudly. In front of him the Ink demon was still standing there blankly

“ _ You… you two were together. That’s it? /That’s/ the reason you left? _ ”

“I-It’s more complicated than that! You see, It’s just… god, this is embarrassing.”

“ _ What, did he cheat on you and you fled like a sad dame in a movie?? _ ”

“NO!”

Sighing heavily, Henry looks to Bendy whose expression just showed how he was purely enjoying the situation. Henry gives him a look

“Stop enjoying this.”

“Nah… this is too funny”

The Ink demon straightens up again, scowling angrily

“ _ That’s the big secret you were hiding?? That’s the whole mysterious reason you left?! I’ll kill- _ ”

“It was  _ one _ reason.”

Pausing, the Ink demon slowly leans back again, daring to be curious

“ _...Explain. _ ”

“Alright, first- NONE of you are allowed to comment or interrupt. Yes, Joey and I dated; we were friends for years before either of us knew any of you. It built up, but you weren’t there for it, okay? Secondly, he’s not  _ gross _ . He’s a horrible person, but he didn’t use to be. And, scoff all you want, but he’s attractive and charismatic- don’t deny it either, because your audio recordings only agreed.”

Thankfully, that had made them go quiet. After all, he was right about one thing… Joey, the handsome and charismatically manipulative man he was, was far too talented at making others fall for him one way or another. Looking to the Ink demon, Henry sighs yet again

“I guess it’s ‘story time’...”

Closing his eyes, Henry could envision the scenes as he described them; the first was him and Joey having first purchased the studio, which had been foreclosed and broken down by the previous owner…

“Joey and I met a long time ago in college. Both of us had always wanted to do something big in a creative department, which ended up being an animation studio. To sum up, we became best friends and decided to build our own studio from the ground up. Sure, Joey wasn’t and still isn’t perfect and can be irritable, but back then he was a sweet gentleman... if you’ll believe me or not. At least, sweeter than now.”

Thinking about it, he remembered him and Joey restoring the studio with hard work and the help of friends. He also remembered all the time they spent together, planning, drawing, and pulling it together. Even if it became mundane at times, it was still fun because they had one another…

“We put everything into the studio; life savings, hard work, and all. When we finally opened it… well, Joey was so happy. I was happy. We had met amazing life goals, and published our first works before Bendy even existed. Even if it was a rough start, it was progress, and Joey  _ loved _ progress.”

Sitting at his desk, Henry had been brainstorming over new ideas; there were many crossed out characters and designs, but he wanted something  _ unique _ . He remembered the spark that came to him as he drew the first lines that became Bendy…

“You can imagine how ecstatic and proud he was when Bendy ended up hitting it off big time. He was so happy, we celebrated with some rather expensive champagne… and… well..”

Flustering a bit, Henry found himself  _ smiling _ in embarrassment; Bendy caught on then, making a face

“ _ Ewwwwww! _ ”

Flustering more, Henry shakes his head

“Bendy, I said no interruptions!”

“But that’s so  _ gross!! _ ”

“W-well, too bad; he’s like your other dad! And It’s not what you’re thinking-”

“NOOOO!”

The Ink demon surprisingly hissed then, silencing Bendy

“ _ Enough! What happened? I want to know _ .”

Behind him, Henry could hear the others chorus up with various levels of agreement… apparently everyone wanted to be nosy. Sighing, he continued

“We didn’t get drunk o-or intimate if that’s what you’re thinking; we just… felt so glad to have made it so far with each other, I guess it… sparked something. Call it old fashioned, but we really fell for each other being close friends already… even I still can’t believe it sometimes. It was a rather special first kiss...”

Alice angel can’t contain herself unfortunately as she exclaimed;

“ _ Awwww that’s so cute!! _ I love love stories!”

Covering his face again, Henry grunts

“Please… stop.”

“Oh- sorry. Please continue!”

“Right… well, after that, things got pretty serious pretty fast; both the studio, and our relationship. The work began to pile on getting more difficult and lasting longer while Joey kept demanding more of me and the few employees we had in the beginning. But, Joey always swept me off my feet… he kept me going with all the sappy gifts, wonderfully romantic dates, loving gestures and… I can be a bit foolish for that stuff.”

Smiling again, Henry closes his eyes once more

“As much as I hate admitting it sometimes, he knew me too well and always had the perfect way to charm me right back into his arms… If it hadn’t been for my stubborn optimism and how good he was at romance, I’d have left a lot sooner. But, well, that’s how it happened… Then…”

The Ink demon leaned in a little, apparently engrossed in the story. Henry wasn’t sure why he was so interested, but if it kept them alive longer, he wasn’t complaining.

“...Then, Joey got… ideas. Ideas that frankly scared me. He kept talking about doing something more, something special that nobody else had ever done before- he became obsessed. Soon, all he could think and breathe was the studio and Bendy. It didn’t take long before I suddenly found I had become a second thought, and it… it hurt. I began to feel neglected, but I kept trying to be optimistic- I kept telling myself he was just busier...”

Sighing heavily, he shakes his head

“Sometimes, being  _ too _ hopeful is a vice in itself; I was excusing Joey’s negative behavior towards me and the others, blaming it on stress and work. I began to question it a little, but Joey started talking about taking things a step further; I didn’t know what he meant exactly, so I brought up my concerns with him. He surprised me with something that made me just ignore the problems all over again though…”

Touching his left hand then, Henry quietly gazes at it

“He… proposed. At the time it had seemed so wonderful and genuine, as he did it on the studio’s anniversary. I was so happy... but later, I found out he had done it just to keep me around. I’d overheard him talking… he said it would distract and bind me legally so I could stay a part of the company and his plans. I was so frustrated, and I felt used- I finally broke out of the illusion. Whatever our relationship once was, it completely fell apart at that point… and not even hope could fix it.”

Looking to Bendy, Henry was surprised to see the little demon looking emotional. Bendy flustered then, puffing

“W-What?? Don’t look at me, jus’ keep talkin’!”

Comfortingly petting Bendy’s head, Henry continues

“Essentially, Joey had become so disillusioned with his obsession of the studio and immortalizing ourselves through fame, he started believing in  _ real _ immortality. I didn’t know he had gone into a whole different realm with- with demons and magic, because… well, I’d turned a blind eye to what he was doing out of love. Turns out, that was a  _ really _ bad idea... I was so heartbroken that I finally resigned my co-ownership, still not knowing what he was planning, but at that point I wanted nothing to do with it. Joey was so upset with me, he tried to beg me to stay. When I refused…”

Henry rubbed his neck then, looking down

“He said some awful things. I packed as he tried chasing me down, swinging between apologizing and insulting me. I was so mad I threw his ring back at him… and that was the end of it. I took my things, put on my coat, and left… I didn’t want to just abandon him, but in the moment I had never been so heated. I honestly never  _ wanted _ to leave… but I couldn’t take it.”

Looking to the Ink demon, Henry found he was silent and rather emotionless

“I found work at another studio that gave me more respect, and I found someone who loved me so warmly and genuinely without the manipulation. I… I had a daughter. I never forgot about Bendy and Joey though… so, I made another mistake and brought him back in my life. He’d visit my home, and he actually loved being an uncle to my daughter… he hadn’t changed though, I could tell- but I couldn’t bring myself to entirely cut him away. Maybe that was a mistake.”

Slowly, Henry turned to see the shadows had receded and the others moved away from the coffin he hadn’t realized they were pushed up against...

“I kept in touch with Joey throughout my life well into our older years… I had never had a single idea what was  _ really _ happening at the studio. Just bits about some strange machine, and the success of Bendy. After it shut down, Joey told me to come back one last time… said he had to show me something. I thought maybe we’d finally have our closure…”

Focused on the coffin, Henry felt a solemn coldness settle over him

“...but it turned out he had never let it go. He’d been so obsessive, and I hadn’t realized I was part of that obsession only feeding it by keeping contact with him. So, just like everyone else, he took my life to put into his own ‘special world’ where everything was in his control forever. I just… I just wish I knew what had happened to the woman I’d married, and…”

Feeling emotional, Henry closed his eyes feeling Bendy squeeze him gently

“...my daughter… She… she’s probably long gone by now. I wonder if my family forgot me… if they blamed me for disappearing. I just… want to go home… I hope they made it alright without me...”

Behind him, Henry wondered what the Ink demon could possibly be thinking now. The others looked rather distraught  _ for _ him; he’d never told them about his family, after all. He didn’t know if time even passed outside while they were here or not, but one thing was for sure- he’d likely never be able to return to his old life.

Then, he heard the Ink demon’s chilling voice speak again;

“ _...I still loathe you for what happened… but I will admit, I hate Joey more. I always have. Now, I understand I rightfully do. Don’t get any ideas that I /care/ whether he hurt you and the others, though… Your sob story means nothing when I feel no pity. Call me cruel, but pity was never given to /me/ either. _ ”

Huffing a bit, the Demon turned away to Henry’s surprise

“ _ I haven’t forgiven and am certainly not finished with you, Stein… but you’ve at least satisfied some curiosity for the time being. You can live, if just a bit longer… enjoy what little time you have while it lasts. _ ”

Then, as suddenly as he’d appeared, the Ink demon phased away through a wall leaving them behind.

Staring silently, Henry lets out a sudden sigh of relief falling to his knees; the others move closer to him, Allison calling out

“Henry??”

“It’s fine; I’m fine. Just… relieved. He spared us…”

Sammy walks over to stand next to him, huffing a little

“He said he’d be back though… and who knows how soon?” 

Sammy closes his eyes while crossing his arms

“But... maybe it’s not too late for him after all. While you were telling your story, he seemed… almost empathetic. Almost.”

Bendy sniffs from Henry’s back, squeezing him more

“Henryyyyyyy! Why does your life gotta be so sad?! Even ol’ ink face got sad! I could feel it!”

Henry blinks then, looking to him

“Wait- really?? He felt sad for me?...”

Bendy nods, sniffling again

“Yeah, really! He acts all aloof an’ stuff, but I can tell…”

Henry pondered that then... just how close could they get to possibly pulling some kind of emotion from the Ink demon? He had to agree with what Sammy had suggested- perhaps it  _ wasn’t _ too late. Maybe there was still a chance. Henry couldn’t entirely save them all from what Joey did… but there was at least fixing it enough to salvage themselves. The thought of saving Bendy and the Ink demon from Joey’s wrongs and the studio’s horrors…it made him feel there was still something he could do.

It gave him hope.

Taking a small breath then, Henry turns to the others who had been busy trying to move the clutter of debris and collapsed boxes

“Forget about the boxes; I don’t think we’ll be needing anything from here after all.”

Charley was the first to react, once again popping out of a different pile of clutter

“What?? Why the sudden change a’ heart, huh?”

Looking to Bendy over his shoulder, Henry can’t help but smile a little at the pouting demon

“Because while this stuff holds sentiments for me and  _ maybe _ Joey… all we need to help the Ink demon is us. He doesn’t need some old photos and reels… I think he needs what all of us did. Someone to help him, so he doesn’t have to be alone.”

Norman snorts at that, turning to him

“You really think he’s this way from being lonely?”

Henry looks to Tom who slowly meets his gaze

“Well, not entirely… but it’s probably a big part of it.”

He turns to Norman again, continuing;

“Think about it. How would you feel, being brought to life only to be hated, feared, and shamed? Hidden away and treated like you were evil just for existing? Now, take that and add constant disappointment, insecurity, and abandonment that lasted for 30 years. How would you act after that?”

Silently staring at Henry, Norman’s flickering lens drops to the floor as he seems to mull it over

“Hm… good point.”

“What I’m trying to get at here is that he isn’t just lonely. With what he had to go through, I’m sure he wants more than anything to just be accepted and free. If we could get him to let at least one person back into his life that isn’t Joey… maybe we could save him. Convince him that he doesn’t have to be the enemy.”

Susie huffs a small laugh at that, smirking a little

“There you go on about saving people again… do you  _ ever _ take time to think about yourself?”

Blinking, Henry looks confused

“Huh? What do you mean?...”

Gesturing at the coffin, Susie gives him a look

“Don’t think we’ve forgotten so easily and so soon, Henry. I agree that It’s important to try and play friends with the Ink demon and all… but there’s no way you’re already over something traumatic as this. I know  _ /I/ _ wasn’t when I saw mine...”

Frowning, Henry looks over his shoulder once more to Bendy who looked worried for him. Sighing, he pulls the little demon off his back before hugging him instead

“I… I know. I mean, I’m not entirely fine, but I don’t know if I can take the luxury of recovery again when the Ink demon knows where we are and is going to keep hunting us… we don’t even have a plan right now.”

Allison walks forward, putting a hand on his shoulder

“We don’t have to ignore it though. Maybe to start, let’s just find a new place to hide where the Ink demon might not find us; then, we’ll try and sort the other things. You don’t have to push yourself, alright? Sound good?”

Henry frowns a little, but nods

“Right… do you have any ideas where to go? I’ve never been able to break off too far from the normal track I’d follow, so I don’t exactly have anywhere in mind.”

With a click sound, a gruff voice suddenly speaks up

“I think I know a place we can hide.”

Both Henry and Allison to turn, Allison smiling in surprise; Barley had just finished hooking up a smaller speaker set up to Tom, allowing him to talk. Henry was glad that he’d be able to communicate now, but he had to admit one thing… it looked a lot like a dog collar with a speaker on it. He supposed that was somewhat fitting, considering. Boris seemed pretty happy about it, clapping for Tom who sniffs a little. Henry asks then;

“Where?”

“Follow me; I’ll take the lead.”

-

Their group now on the move, they made their way from the vault down various winding halls Henry didn’t recognize. Maybe that was a good thing as it meant they were moving into territory the Ink demon might not recognize either. As they walked along, they had been sharing small banter before Susie fell in place next to Henry, who was walking in the middle. She gives him a curious look before speaking

“Alright, Henry, I have to ask… the way you spoke about Joey back there, it sounded like you have a lot of leftover feelings about the whole thing. I’m dying of curiosity to know more…”

Sighing heavily, Henry looks up to the ceiling dramatically while Bendy snickers in his arms

“Of course you are…”

Sammy moves up to his other side, smirking a little himself

“Come on Henry, it could be good for you to talk about it! Maybe we can help you out! like, uh…”

Susie adds for him;

“Therapists!”

“Yes, therapists!”

Henry gives both of them unamused looks, Norman snickering from behind bringing up the rear of the group with Boris and Alice angel. Sighing once more, Henry shakes his head

“I have a  _ small _ hunch you guys just want to gossip…”

Sammy feigns offense 

“Whaaaat? Us? Gossip? We’d never!”

Susie also feigns offense, holding a hand up to her forehead

“Henry, how could you accuse such a thing!”

“Alright, knock it off both of you; I’ll talk about it, but only because it helps me remember.”

Trying to collect his thoughts then, Henry focuses on following Tom as he speaks

“I wasn’t lying about having moved on from Joey… but, I  _ would _ be lying if I said there wasn’t some soreness left. Of  _ course _ I still have something left… I’d spent over half my life with him. And, with the way my heart likes trying to make the best from the worst… well, sometimes a very naive part of me thinks I can fix it still.”

Susie scoffs, giving him a look of surprise

“Fix?? You’re kidding! You don’t mean try and  _ redeem _ that garbage?!”

Henry rolls his eyes, glancing to her

“Well, sometimes. But mostly I just wish I could get him to at least  _ regret _ what happened… of course there’s no real way he can ever make up what happened- and I’m not foolish enough to fall for him again. But…”

Sammy leans in then, looking curious

“But what??”

Giving him a look, Henry shakes his head again

“But, I do think that maybe, possibly, just the tiniest sliver of a chance exists that he could try and start over. If he actually tried to right what was wrong… and, well, spend the rest of his life really holding himself to what he did.”

Susie scoffs again, shaking her head 

“Henry, the man committed  _ murder _ . I don’t think you can exactly redeem yourself from that.”

Frowning and looking down, Henry’s eyes meet with Bendy’s; the demon was also frowning.

“I… I know. There’s no excusing that, or fixing it. He’d have to go to jail or  _ something _ … I just… I don’t want to leave  _ him _ here either, even if the deepest darkest pits of my mind want to hit him in the face with an axe most other times.”

Sammy and Susie both snort at that then, making Henry smile just a little; he notices that Bendy was too. Was he mimicking him? If so, it was a little cute… especially if it was subconsciously. From the front, Allison speaks having glanced over her shoulder at them

“Wouldn’t leaving him here alone be a poetic justice though? He wanted to keep his studio and live in it forever… I think it’s kind of fitting, letting him rot with his ‘fallen empire’ like he forced on the Ink demon.”

Henry frowns again at that, pondering her words. It would be a rather fitting end, and a rightfully earned justice for his actions… but Henry still didn’t like the feeling of purposefully leaving someone here. Afterall, he still had once known Joey in a loving intimate way…

“I guess I’m just a little disillusioned… I can’t help thinking about what he used to be…”

Tom surprisingly speaks up then, making Henry look up

“Probably ‘cause he’s gotten too deep into your mind. I may not know Drew as well as you do, but I did spend years working as his right hand lackey with that damned machine. He always had this special way of leavin’ some kind of imprint in people’s minds no matter how much they hated him… man had a ‘silver’ tongue coated with mercury, poisoning anyone who listened.”

He glances over his shoulder to Henry, his expression seeming stern as ever

“Not to mention the type of person you are, Henry. I’m not surprised he was so drawn to you. An open forgiving heart that tries to always look on the bright side… the perfect target for someone who wants to keep you under his control and get away with it. This whole studio ‘set up’ he wrote for you might’ve subliminally pushed things into your head too that you’re not aware of, either. I’d just think long and hard about it; Joey’s manipulated you before, he could be doing it now.”

Blinking a few times at that, Henry looks down to the floor this time. Really thinking about it now, he remembers the odd dreams… the song… the strange memory flashes.

“I… I think you might be right. Just being here might be affecting me... “

Sighing softly, he looks to Bendy who pokes him in the face then

“Hey, don’t go gettin’ too sad old man. Joey ain’t even worth your carin’! ‘S tough ta let go when ya really loved somebody…”

Bendy trails off a bit, looking past Henry; he follows, realizing the demon was looking at Alice. Bendy shakes his head then, speaking again

“...But, ya can’t let it consume ya! The old memories might be nice, but sometimes reminiscin’ about the good ol’ has-been just makes the ‘now’ harder, an’ ya start missin’ and feelin’ bad for someone who might not even deserve yer time of day.”

Henry smiles a little, gently ruffling Bendy’s head

“When did you get so wise? And nice?”

Bendy blinks, puffing at him

“Hey! I ain’t evil or nothin’! I just like a little mischief now an’ then!”

Henry chuckles a little at him, giving the now grinning demon a gentle squeeze

“I guess I’m a little hypocritical at times… I always told Joey to let go of the past, but here I am,  _ literally _ stuck in it… this has to be a cruel joke in some way.”

Sammy clasps his hands together then, making Henry, Bendy, and Susie all flinch a little

“Oh! That actually makes sense! He was so upset and mad he couldn’t move on from the studio, he tried to force you to be unable to! Man, what a  _ Di- _ ”

Susie cuts in then, pointing at Henry

“Or, he’s forcing all his resentment and jealousy of you living happily on you when he couldn’t! So he’s being really bitter, and making you miserable with him”

Behind them, Norman speaks up 

“Or, he’s doin’ a whole combo of that along with his weird ass obsession with keepin’ everythin’ alive forever under his thumb. Man’s lost his mind… not that he had it much in the first place.”

Sighing softly, Henry nods at that

“You’re not entirely wrong… but still; despite all of it, I can’t help just… missing the whole romantic thing sometimes. Not just Joey either, but romance in general. I feel this… emptiness that I can’t understand. It’s like a gap of something that got pulled from my mind.... the woman I married after… I don’t even know her name anymore.”

Both Sammy and Susie on either side of him looked rather depressed at that, frowning and glancing to one another. Henry blinks, frowning himself as Sammy speaks

“Henry… you are so depressing sometimes, you know that? I mean- it’s not your fault obviously, but wow. You really didn’t deserve it.”

Susie shakes her head, following up;

“Maybe Joey had something to do with that? He pulled anything you could remember about her so you wouldn’t think of her because he was jealous or something?”

Henry makes a face at that, Bendy doing the same before going ‘bleck!’ as Henry responds

“I mean… I guess it would make sense.”

Charley surprises him suddenly, having moved closer to speak

“Punch it outta him!! Get yer memories back so you can at least remember who yer wife was!”

Edgar scoffs at him, rolling his eyes

“That is  _ barbaric _ . Clearly, he should threaten him at sharp weapon point.”

Bendy looks over to the striker, sounding curious

“Hey, Ed, how’re ya keepin’ up with us when yer leg is broke??”

Somehow, Henry hadn’t even considered that; looking over as well now, he sees that Alice angel was carrying him behind them while Barley waddled in front of her, Boris, and Norman. Henry smiles a little at that before Bendy snorts

“Oh. that’s how”

Edgar flusters 

“W-what is that supposed to mean?!”

“Oh, nothin’...”

Slowly, Henry notices their group came to a halt; in front of them was a thick waterfall of ink cascading down from above. Henry hadn’t even realized how far they’d traveled as they were now in some strange cavernous area that looked precarious and definitely not for the average employee. Tom looks over to them then, sighing

“Alright; once we get through here, there’ll be a few sealed doors we need to get through, then we’ll be in a place I’m certain neither Drew nor Bendy… I mean, the Ink demon, will find us. We just need to get through here.”

Henry nods, looking up at the waterfall of ink

“So, the one issue then would be getting through that…”

“Right. So, if you have any ideas…”

Bendy hops down from Henry’s arms finally, walking over before clearing his throat for dramatic effect. Then, raising his arms, he parts the ink for everyone giving a ‘ta-dah!’ pose

“Yer welcome~”

Tom rolls his eyes before looking to Allison

“You first”

“So, if it isn’t safe, I’ll be first to know then?”

“No, I-”

“Just teasing, Tom.”

She quickly gives him a peck on the cheek, making the grumpy wolf fluster. After Allison walks through, he looks to the others who had been watching, flustering more

“Well, don’t just stand there starin’ at me! I get enough of that with all the damn creepy cutouts.”

Henry grins a little at that, walking through now with the others following suit. Once everyone had made it, Bendy follows while letting the ink fall back down, wheezing a bit. Alice crouches in front of him still holding Edgar as she asks,

“Are you okay?”

“F-Fine… arms just hurt.”

Edgar grins a little 

“Well, if you ever need it, I could lend you a hand… or two. Or three.”

Bendy stares as the striker holds out all three of his arms before he snorts loudly, bursting out cackling to Edgar’s delight. Henry smiles at that, thinking it was rather sweet. That is, until Charley laughs far too loudly next to everyone else making them all jump. Tom sighs, shaking his head

“Try not to be too loud; the idea is to keep ourselves hidden, ya know.”

Charley and Bendy both quiet down, but they were smiling still. Charley shrugs at Tom then;

“Sorry; just my nature!”

“I’ve noticed.”

Charley beams at that. He always seemed to take pride in himself, which Henry supposes wasn’t a bad thing. The self-confidence was rather positive and infectious as it made Henry sometimes want to do the same. His thoughts are pulled back however as Tom starts to open a heavy metal door.

“Hey… how did you have the key to that?”

“You’ll find out in a moment. This way”

Passing through another few security doors like he’d mentioned, they came to a final door that he gets help from Barley to wire open. Slowly, the final and impressively much thicker metal door struggles to lift out of the way. 

Walking inside, Tom flicks a switch for a light that struggles to turn on as it flickered dimly several times before finally illuminating the room with a warm orange glow. Immediately, Henry recognized the room; it was the very room he’d seen the melting Bendy come out of in his dream. Then, he realized what was so obviously right in front of him in the middle of it…

The first original, old, rusted ink machine.


	45. Heart and Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the reveal of the original Ink machine, Henry and Bendy come face to face with memories and revelations that make their heads hurt- literally. As Henry sees the past, an unlikely 'ally' shows Bendy a possible path for their future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Vague violence mention

* * *

Silently, everyone stood a generous distance from the old rusted machine as if it would hurt them somehow. Henry had to admit, there was an ominous aura it gave off that made him certainly want to give it space. Allison spoke without looking away,

“Tom…”

Tom crosses his arms slowly, still gazing at it

“Yup; that’s her, alright. The very first ink machine. That’s the one Bendy came out of…”

Henry furrows his brow, turning to Tom

“What about the one I turned on and saw lowered by those chains?”

“That was the second attempt. This first one here is the true original; didn’t run for very long, ‘cause after it spat out Bendy, it broke down. Tch… poor thing couldn’t handle it.”

Bendy slowly approached it, staring up at it in some kind of silent awe. However, Henry noticed his expression looked disturbed. Henry reaches out a hand as he calls to him;

“Bendy?... is everything alright?”

Blinking, he rubs his arm turning back to the rest of them

“Uh- yeah, I think so… I just get some weird feelin’s lookin’ at this thing. It’s like… I  _ wanna _ be sad, scared, or somethin’... but, I don’t? I think?”

Tom grunts, shaking his head

“Probably because those feelings were left in your ‘other half’... probably for the best, too.”

Bendy nods at that, seemingly forgetting about it as he walks over to Alice instead who was still holding Edgar to speak to the striker instead

“So… does yer leg still hurt?...”

While the others began small talk, Henry brought himself to approach the machine himself. Something about it was just… odd. It was as if he’d seen it once before somehow, but he couldn’t remember…

Walking around to the back of it, he gazed curiously over the empty and cracked ink jar on its back. Staring, he realizes he was being stared right back at… by his own reflection.

“AH!!!”

All the others flinch, scrambling to attention while Sammy responds

“WHAT??”

“S-sorry, just-  _ is this really how I’ve looked this whole time?! _ ”

Leaning towards the glass a bit, Henry inspects himself feeling rather disoriented about it; this was the first time he was getting a clear look at his face in a long time. 

He looked younger for sure, back when he was working in the studio with his hair still dark, but plenty of gray on the sides and tinting his bangs from stress. His eyes seemed unnatural and colorless, not to mention he had incredibly dark rings and bags like he hadn’t slept in ages… or was that the ink? Rubbing a hand over his chin, he felt his short cropped but scruffy beard.

Perhaps the strangest thing was that he certainly didn’t look  _ real. _ He should have figured, considering his arms were permanently stained with ink… but seeing his own face for the first time in ages was startling. Suddenly, he felt very tired… especially remembering the vault. He wasn’t the calm, quiet old man laying in that coffin… He was a roughed up, worn middle-aged man made of ink.

Henry hears a quiet whine from Boris then, making him frown. Turning away from his reflection, he sighs

“Things have… definitely changed. I don’t look too hot… did I always look so  _ tired? _ ”

Susie shrugs 

“I mean… we just kind of assumed this was your default. Also, I can imagine a few people who might suggest you  _ are _ looking hot-”

She flinches with an ‘ow!’ when both Sammy and Norman gently elbow her from both sides with unamusement. Henry grimaces a little at that, deciding to ignore what was implied. Rubbing under his eyes, he sighs softly

“Guess I can’t get proper sleep in a place like this…”

‘Unless I’m dead,’ he thinks to himself. Allison looks to him with a frown

“Maybe you should try resting now that we’re somewhere safe”

Henry frowns back, rubbing the back of his neck which felt a bit stiff

“It’s fine, don’t worry about me; I’m not about to pass out. Though, I think I’ll take up that offer anyways... in a bit”

Thankfully, she didn’t push- at least for the time being. She was right though... he could really use some sleep.

Walking around the machine once more, Henry paused next to it to really take in the rusted metal in front of him. Reaching out a hand, he hesitates for a second as if something bad might happen only to shake his head thinking that would be silly. Placing his palm to it, Henry furrows his brow… it was… warm? 

Suddenly, a bright flash behind his eyes caused a sharp pain in his head; around him, everything had begun shaking violently making everyone shout and stumble. Falling against the machine, Henry gasps as imagery burns into his mind; a Hand reaching for him… half formed, the Bendy-like creature didn’t even have a full body. The machine… he could see something behind it. In another flash, he sees something strange; it looked like a glowing door. It was closing quickly. Then, a final even more agonizing flash shows him a smiling grin in the glowing doorway before it snaps shut.

Holding his head and clenching his teeth, Henry gave a muffled yell of his pain before the rumbling subsided along with his pain. At first, he figured that it was simply over; as things got darker however, Henry realized it was him passing out. Ah. of course.

Seems he’d be taking that rest Allison suggested sooner than later. That, and he apparently  _ was _ on the verge of passing out after all.

\- (POV shift: Bendy)

Stumbling around as the studio shook, Bendy flailed his arms before seeing Henry hit the floor; that couldn’t be good for an old man.

“HENRY!!”

Stumbling his way over as the floor continued shaking, Bendy fell over roughly next to him before getting back up on his knees. Taking hold of Henry, he shakes him gently, but it was no good; the old artist was unconscious.

“Dang it, old man!! Why’re you always passin’ out on me?! I thought ya said ya WEREN’T about ta pass out!!”

Holding onto him tightly until the rumbling finally passed, Bendy grimaces a bit looking down at Henry

“Guys, Henry passed out again!”

Allison and Alice angel both moved over quickly, kneeling by and checking on him. Bendy was glad they were because he wasn’t anywhere near qualified to help with such a thing. He nervously watched and waited until Allison sighs softly in relief

“He’s still breathing… I don’t think he’s hurt either. What happened to him now?”

Bendy shrugs, grimacing again

“I dunno!! Things got all shaky an’ suddenly I saw him collapse! I don’t think he hit his head, he just kinda fell over”

Tom walks over, looking down on them

“He touched the machine. Maybe it did something to him.”

Bendy frowns at that, looking up at the grouchy wolf

“The machine?? Like what, steal his soul?!”

Tom gives him an unamused look

“No. I don’t know  _ what _ it did, but I think it caused everything to shake around like that. Whatever it was, it probably wasn’t good.”

Bendy looks down at Henry, sighing

“Oh, Henry… why ya always gotta make things happen?? It’s like this whole place just reacts ta you existin’!”

Naturally, Henry couldn’t respond as he was unconscious, so Bendy turned to Alice instead

“Is he gonna be alright??”

She looked like she was in thought before nodding a little

“I think so… like Allison said, he isn’t hurt; I just think he’ll need some time.”

Making a face at that, Bendy sneers a little

“Great… now we gotta sit around an’  _ wait _ . This is gonna get real borin’ real fast…”

Edgar limps over then, looking to Bendy

“Perhaps the machine reacted to him for a reason. Did something happen in the past, perhaps?”

Bendy shrugs, sighing

“Yer guess is as good as mine. I wouldn’t go runnin’ to touch it though to find out”

Seeing something from the corner of his eye, Bendy turns his head only to find Barley had somehow gotten next to him, making the little demon flinch

“JEEZE, can ya not sneak up on a guy??”

Barley blinks, quietly apologizing

“Sorry… I’m just curious about the machine. I want to know how it works…”

Tom snorts at that, drawing the attention of all three toons

“Don’t hold your breath on that. Not even I fully understand that abomination, and I helped design it. Its engineering is borderline  _ magic _ , if not pure bullcrap.”

Barley only looked more curious at that

“Fascinating… I want to study it more now…”

Bendy snorts himself, shaking his head

“I wouldn’t go touchin’ it if I were you.”

“I wasn’t planning on it… I wanted you to.”

Bendy blinks a few times processing that

“...Me? Touch the machine?? If Henry passed out, I don’t think that’s a good idea!”

“You don’t know that… it could do something good”

“Yeah, cause all that rumblin’ an’ Henry fallin’ over was real good”

“It could be different.”

Bendy felt unsure, turning to Edgar

“I dunno, it sounds like a bad idea to me”

Edgar was frowning, seeming unsure himself

“You might be right… we need not create more problems”

Charley cuts in then, startling Bendy again; unfortunately, he wouldn’t be apologetic for it.

“Maybe if ya touch it, you’ll find out what happened to Henry!! It could be worth it!”

Bendy makes a face, shaking his head once more

“Uh-uh, I don’t think so”

“Ah c’mon, what’s the worst that could happen??”

Charley grabs Bendy’s arm before the devil can protest, slapping his palm onto the machine. At first, it didn’t seem like anything special; it was just a machine. However, his palm started to feel… warm.

“Uh… is it just me, or is the room movin’ again?”

Suddenly, Bendy felt his legs fail as he, too, started passing out. He landed right on top of Henry with a dull thump; at least he was soft enough. Bendy could still hear some conversation and barely see Charley frowning down at him...

“Huh. I guess  _ that  _ could happen.”

Tom slaps a hand to his face loudly (thankfully not the metal one) before grumbling loudly

“Alright- nobody else touch the damn machine! That’s an order!”

“What if I don’t take yer orders-”

Tom growls loudly brandishing an axe, making the piper hold up his own hatchet arm in defense

“OKAY, POINT MADE!”

Then, the voices started to fade as Bendy felt darkness take him. He could have sworn he heard Edgar give quite the colorful choice of curse words just then.

  * (POV change: Ink Demon)



Keeping a perfect balance as everything shook for what may have been the third or fourth time, the Ink demon sneered with unamusement watching everything in Joey’s office clatter to the floor yet again. The old man was cursing as he tumbled from his chair, foolishly trying to pick up what had fallen as if it mattered. The Ink demon simply looked up towards the ceiling watching and waiting for the rumbling to cease. 

Instead, however, a series of bright flashes and a burning pain set off in his mind suddenly making the demon hiss loudly startling Joey. 

He was in a dark swirling tunnel, made of what looked like ink; how had he gotten here? Then, a bright glowing doorway at the end of it… it was beckoning him somehow. He had to reach it quickly. He felt so small and innocent, curious to see where the strange tunnel would lead him.

Suddenly, things weren’t so inviting; horrible pain tore all over his body, pulling, twisting, corrupting him with agony. He silently screamed, crying for help, but it was lost to a mechanical din as he was ripped through the glowing doorway. Seeing a dark hole that looked like a way out, he clawed his way to it desperately. 

Finally, a rush of ink around him flooded him out of the torture and out onto a hard wood floor… he didn’t feel right. A tall man stood glowering over him as he reached out, trying to beg for help, but he couldn’t get his mouth to move; it was like it had been glued shut. He also didn’t have limbs anymore… then, is if sped through time, he found he was now melting as someone said the words ‘start over’. 

He was sent back into the inky vortex, the agony resuming as he tried again and again to escape. For what felt like the millionth time, he pulled himself out of the machine… followed by screams. Trying to scream himself, his mouth still couldn’t move. A voice…

“ _ The Hell is wrong with all of you?! Just because he doesn’t look right doesn’t mean he’s evil… _ ”

Another flash, and he was clawing desperately at wooden slats blocking him into a room with the horrid machine he hated so much. How many times did he have to dissolve and be reborn from its agonizing hell?! He had to stop it, stop them from turning it off again; he can’t take it again! Before him, the culprit… how dare he turn it back on?! How dare they turn it off and on again! He’d show them! He’d  _ kill _ them!! 

Watching the man he recognized as Henry Stein from the old studio archives, he vowed to stop him at all costs… then, the flashbacks stopped, leaving the demon holding his head curled in the corner of Joey’s office.

Grunting, Joey stood propped up on his desk, struggling as he could hardly walk in the first place

“The hell is happening with you?! The place starts shaking up again, and the next thing I know, you’re shrieking like the unholy demon you are!”

Snarling, the Ink demon extends his right hand into claws, attempting to dash and swipe at Joey; unfortunately, he’s halted in his path, frozen just inches away with his hand and body twitching in place. Joey simply stood there, rather unfazed and irritated looking instead at the frozen demon while a light glowed in his chest under his shirt.

“You  _ really _ tried that, huh? How many times will it take for you to LEARN-”

Joey shoved the Ink demon down to the floor again, glaring down on him as the demon could only scowl back being unable to move

“-That you can’t fight against me! I  _ OWN _ you! I  _ CONTROL _ you! As long as I have half your soul, you can’t do anything to me! You’re foolish, hot-headed, and pathetic as that whimpering cartoon.”

“ _ One could say the same about /you/- _ ”

Twitching with anger, the Ink demon felt his speech cut off as Joey forced him to be silent; he did, afterall, quite literally have power over him. 

Oh, how he hated this man more than anyone. He had forced him into this horrid world, stolen his own life essence, broken it, and was now using it to enforce his will over him. Scowling harder, the Ink demon fantasized about how nice it’d be to rip the man’s throat to shreds as he choked on his own stubborn ego… and blood.

“Henry’s running around messing with things, making this damn place fall apart. If he keeps up at this pace, we’ll all be doomed to its collapse! I told you, I wanted them found, and I wanted his friends dead  _ ages _ ago! And here you are, unable to even find a trace! Useless!”

Slowly, Joey finally released the Ink demon who started to get up, feeling a boiling angry hatred he wished he could unleash on him in full. Despite having grown somewhat used to being insulted and belittled so much, being controlled was a whole other Hell.

“ _ Maybe if you had some brilliant idea of where he could be hiding, it wouldn’t take so long. You designed this wretched hole, after all. _ ”

Joey scoffs, moving with some difficulty to flop back down into his chair

“Who the hell can even keep track of all the wasted rooms built in here?? Clearly, we need to flush them out of  _ their  _ hole, wherever it is… Meaning you’re going to have to try using your connection ability.” 

Standing straighter with some surprise, the Ink demon sniffs in contempt 

“ _ Connect? To Stein? I’d rather cut off my own leg. _ ”

Joey gives him a stern look of unamusement

“You already have once, and it took forever to fix! I can’t keep putting you back together if you do that. And no, not Stein; you’ll be connecting to the other demon.”

Turning fully to Joey then, the Ink demon silently stares him down before finally asking

“ _ Why? What could you possibly have in mind? _ ”

Steepling his hands together, Joey leans forward on his desk with a rather sinister smile

“I need you to lure him away... use him as incentive to pull Henry away from the group. If we tell him to come alone because we have his precious cartoon friend, he’ll listen.”

Crossing his arms, the Ink demon sniffs again

“ _ Right… and it’ll all work out perfectly, I’m sure. _ ”

Sitting upright, Joey gives him a look of contempt himself now

“Don’t act like you’re intelligent enough to understand. Just do as you’re told, and lure him away with your connections; make it…  _ convincing _ .”

Grin twitching, the Ink demon turns away from him

“ _ Oh… i’ll make it convincing. He’ll be gone before you know it… _ ”

And, he figures, soon would Joey and Henry too. For now, he was going to give Bendy something Joey wouldn’t appreciate. Something the little demon couldn’t resist…    
  
answers.

\- (POV change: Bendy)

Everything was quiet.

The world was blank, dark, and quiet.

And frankly, it was starting to drive Bendy nuts. He’d always hated being alone in the dark with nothing but himself and the white noise of the studio. Unfortunately, he found it was rather difficult to move; his body felt heavy and sluggish, the unmistakable churning noises of the machine all around him in the inky darkness.

That is, until a small beam of light fell upon him from somewhere as if a door had opened.

Slowly opening his eyes, Bendy could only stare as a silhouette stood inside the bright shape of a doorway across from him. Then, the figure began to approach him; how he wished he could move.

When it reached him, Bendy realized with horror that it was none other than the Ink demon looming over him with that menacing smile. However… he wasn’t hurting him. Simply… standing there. He speaks, his voice sounding different… it was whispery and calm, deeper and much more appealing than his normally chaotic-clash of a demonic voice.

“ _ Don’t bother trying to run away, struggle, or scream. You’re not awake. _ ”

Bendy frowned at that, remembering Charley making him touch the machine… dammit Charley. Struggling to sit up, he found he was still heavy and unable to do much. The Ink demon sighed, realizing as much before waving a hand over him; suddenly, Bendy found he could move again as he quickly sat up blinking

“How’d ya find me?? Get inta my head?? Whaddya plannin’ on doin’, cause I ain’t gonna rat them out!”

“ _ Calm down; I’m not here as your enemy for once. In fact… I’m here to help you. We’re connected naturally, being one in the same. _ ”

Scoffing, Bendy eyes him

“Yeah, ‘cept I ain’t nothin’ like ya an’ ya aren’t me! Also...  _ help? _ Why should I believe ya, huh?!”

Frowning, the Ink demon did something unexpected… he sat down before Bendy, and held out a hand. Eyeing it distrustfully, Bendy glances up at him before the demon speaks again

“ _ I need your help. I’m willing to help you in exchange for it. I’d rather do anything else, but I’ve been forced into a position with no other options. _ ”

Frowning back now, Bendy slowly pondered; could he really trust him? Maybe they were once the same person, but since they’d split, things had been very different. He felt like they were no longer anything alike. But… He could tell the other was sincere. Sighing, he looks up to the Ink demon

“Alright. I’ll hear ya out. But no funny business, okay?”

The Ink demon nods, extending his hand further

“ _ Then I need you to trust me. Take my hand. _ ”

Slowly eyeing it, Bendy took a deep breath before letting it out; if this killed him, it would really suck for him and his friends. On the other hand (no pun intended), if the Ink demon  _ was _ helping… it could really save them. 

After a long silence, he finally took the Ink demon’s hand while eyeing him down. The Ink demon simply stood however, helping Bendy to his feet before they were suddenly floating in space; the room they were in had vanished. In a blur of light, they were flying down studio halls within his mind until they wound up in a very familiar place.

Stopping before Joey’s old office by the vault room, Bendy stared up at the door before the Ink demon raised his other hand making the door to the office open. Floating inside, they finally landed on the floor as the Ink demon let go.

“How’d ya do that?? What’s goin’ on?”

“ _ Within our minds the realm is connected… we are part of this place, as it is part of us. You can seek through it easily… after all, the ink allows us to see. _ ”

Bendy’s eyes widen as his mouth opens in awe

“That’s how… That’s how ya always found us! That’s how ya always could see without eyes… the ink!”

Smiling, the Ink demon tilts his head

“ _ Not just the ink; the machine. Both you and I are part of it, you see, as not only does it give us life… but we can connect to it. Through its many pipes we’re able to go anywhere, hear anything, and see everything. _ ”

Bendy shakes himself of the awe, frowning 

“But why’d ya bring us here?? Whaddya want help with?”

Frowning as well, the Ink demon quickly became hostile, scowling and glaring at the desk. Outside the room, Bendy watched a patrol of corrupted butcher gang members squabble incomprehensibly as they lurched by on their mindless patrols.

“ _ I need help with Joey. He has me trapped under his control against my will, and I can’t fight him because of it. I need you to free me from him. _ ”

Taking a step towards the Ink demon, Bendy gawks again

“What?! How?! How is he controllin’ ya, an’ how do I free ya?? An’ what happens if I do?”

The Ink demon slowly walked up under the rolling reels of the studio logo on the wall, staring up at them. Then, whistling a certain tune Bendy recognized as being from the cartoon’s opening, the reels all stopped spinning. With a shaking jolt, the wall beneath them shuddered, opening a door.

“Woah… where does that lead??”

“ _ A secret archive. It has everything you’ll need to know… all the magic Joey used, documentation of the machine, and everything he’s used. I need you to find a very particular book… _ ”

Holding up his hands, the Ink demon used Bendy’s mindscape to form a small thin handmade journal that had black leather and a half worn off white silhouette of his head on it.

“ _ This journal has a page about soul binding. You see… Joey has my soul. /Our/ soul, bound to him. At least… half of it. _ ”

Blinking several times, Bendy looks up at him 

“What?! Pally, you’re tellin’ me a  _ lot _ an’ it’s gonna send me reelin’!”

“ _ I need you to focus! This is direly important for BOTH of us! _ ”

“I-I’ll try, jeeze! But, whaddya mean soul bindin’? An’... half?”

Sighing heavily, the Ink demon waved the illusion of the journal away, the wall also shimmering back to normal; it hadn’t actually opened. Sitting down in the chair at the desk, the Ink demon looks to him

“ _ I’ll explain, but you need to listen closely; I won’t repeat myself. _ ”

Nodding eagerly, Bendy hops up to sit on the desk near him

“I’m all ears”

Taking a breath, the Ink demon began to explain carefully in a voice even clearer than before somehow:

“Long ago when I tried to force myself to look the way you do now, Joey discovered that part of me wasn’t corrupted. Part of me was still… Bendy. He wanted more than anything to make me… to make ‘us’ perfect. Thus, he began experimenting on how to  _ split _ things apart for the ‘perfect’ pieces. Unfortunately, Miss Campbell was subjected to such experiments…”

“That’s why she’s like that?...”

“Partially, yes. She learned from Joey that you can take the good pieces of a soul out and use them to make something… ‘perfect’.”

Frowning, Bendy shivered with a chill knowing where this was going

“...He wanted to split us, didn’t he?”

“Exactly. Unfortunately for him, Tom had overheard; he wanted to stop him… I only know because of listening through the machine. I… we may have been trapped in the machine, but through its systems we could hear and see everything; thus, I watched them.  _ We  _ watched them.”

Bendy blinks at that, leaning forward

“So what happened?? I-I don’t remember…”

“That’s because Joey succeeded… I didn’t pull you out of me like you thought; no… Joey, against Tom’s will, split our very soul at its  _ core _ . It was pure  _ agony _ \- horrible, ripping pain that tore us apart! Then, it made  _ us _ . You were… perfect. All of the good in us, the empathy, compassion, bravery, happiness… and I… I was the scraps left behind. Anger, loneliness, resentment, rejectedness…”

Bendy looked down, remembering Henry’s words about how they were both important. He also remembered his own words to Henry, saying he was the good and the Ink demon was the bad… man. He felt like a real jerk suddenly.

“Yeah… I kinda remember that…”

Sighing, the Ink demon looks down as well

“Joey was so happy with you… he adored you. Spoiled you, and loved you; at least, for a short time. I was so hurt, so angry, so  _ torn _ that I was hellbent on revenge. Tom wanted to help reunite me to you as well, because separate we were unstable, and he knew it wouldn’t last forever. So, we tried to bring you and I back together. And it worked...”

Clenching one hand into a fist, He looks up to Bendy again

“...Only for us to be destroyed entirely. They shut off the machine, and we melted… Because without it running, we cannot live.”

Staring at him, Bendy shakes his head in disbelief

“B-but how?? Why? I-If we died, how’re we  _ here?? _ ”

“Bendy… how can you not see it? The machine isn’t just a portal to other worlds, or a bucket spewing out toxic ink… it’s our heart.”

Feeling frozen, Bendy stares for a long moment before stuttering

“H-heart?... you mean…”

“These pipes are our veins… the machine is our heart. It’s very beating rhythm feeds us our life. The studio houses the force that is tied to it. When that heart stops beating…we die. Of course, we can’t die permanently; the magic part of it makes it that way. But coming back to life again… is true  _ Hell! _ ”

Bendy flinches slightly, as the Ink demon had slammed a hand to the desk and leaned forward. Feeling distraught and confused, Bendy places a hand over his own chest

“B-but how did it become that way?? W-We weren’t always attached to it, right?”

“You’re correct… Joey removed our soul entirely from us; he took the core fragment that gives us life to power the machine. Our true heart, you might say, is a fragment trapped in the machine- the  _ true _ final machine below. The other parts made you and me… and when he dragged everyone into this inky hell dimension, you and I were pulled in as well. He  _ used _ us.”

“He used us as a key…  _ we’re _ the key entity Sammy spoke of…”

Leaning back in his chair, the Ink demon seemed surprised

“You know that term…? Then you understand? Joey took us from our original home because of our power he wanted… then, he used it against our will to make his own world.”

Bendy trembles a bit feeling incredibly… something. Overwhelmed? Angry? Upset? All of it, really. Clenching his hands into fists, he looks to the Ink demon again

“B-But why’re ya tellin’ me this?? What good does it do?”

“This information is what can save me- save  _ us _ \- from Joey. You need to understand so you can defeat him, and set us free.”

“B-But I thought ya hated Henry an’ everyone else!”

“I am angry and resentful… this is true. But I hate none more than Joey Drew… and I’d do anything to stop him; even help  _ you _ .”

Bendy stares long and hard at him before nodding slowly.

“...alright. Then whaddya need from me?”

Looking to the wall where the doorway had been, the Ink demon continues

“When we arrived in this realm for the first time, our soul was split once more by Joey; however, Henry’s presence was powerful and he didn’t give in without a fight. He tried to stop Joey, fight him off from hurting us… but he didn’t fully understand who the soul belonged to, nor what he was doing. Incidentally, he saved at least half; he pulled  _ you _ away. But…”

“...Joey took you.”

Nodding bitterly, the Ink demon glances up at the studio logo, rattling away as its reels spun

“He then embedded my half within himself in order to control me like a puppet. I was sent in to do his bidding, and had no choice; for a while though, I simply let him because I was so angry It consumed me while I terrorized the occupants of the studio. But, the longer time went on, the more I began to realize who I really hated- and that I hated being used.”

Growling, the Ink demon grits his teeth a little

“I tried fighting Joey, but he easily stopped my every attempt with my soul, and still does. He’s able to use my powers and abilities and force me to do what he wants whether I want to or not…”

“...so ya need me ta get it back, right?”

“Exactly. The journal I showed you has the spell that can free me from him.”

“Wait wait wait- few questions…One, What’ll happen when I  _ do _ separate ya from ‘im? Aren’t ya just gonna kill everyone, and what if we’re forced back together instead? Two, has he been forcin’ ya to hurt an’ try ta kill us this whole time or was that really you?? An’ three- what about  _ my _ soul half???”

Sighing, the Ink demon looks to him with a deep focus

“We don’t have to reintegrate  _ inside  _ this realm, but I’m not sure about  _ outside  _ of it. Also, you’ll just have to trust me. Joey has indeed forced my hand in many matters… many I would not have done otherwise. I’ll be sure to show him how I feel about that fact. Finally… what do you  _ think _ happened with your soul piece?...”

Bendy silently stares at him, furrowing his brow and frowning

“I dunno! That’s why I asked you!”

“Think about it… if Joey has unusual abilities with  _ my _ half, who else exhibits unusual ability?”

Bendy stares then, practically whispering

“Henry…”

“That’s right. Henry has  _ yours _ . Why do you think that energy protected him so many times? Why do you think he was able to typically heal on his own, especially eating your favorite food? Why do you think I was able to  _ connect _ with him and always find him? But most of all… why do you think his hope is so strong, it almost seems…  _ magic? _ ”

“I-I’ve been givin’ him powers?? Henry has my  _ soul?! _ ”

“Indeed. Without it, he’s just an ordinary human like the rest… almost. His level of hope and compassion is unmatched… and combined with yours, it really truly is  _ something _ . Something Joey fears.”

“But what about when we leave?? He can’t keep it forever, right?...”

“That’s why we  _ both _ need you to find that spell. It’ll let you separate not only me from Joey, but you from Henry. That way, we can  _ both  _ have our lives back. But there’s still the issue with the machine…”

Frowning, Bendy holds his head shaking it

“This is so much… too much!”

“Calm down, It’ll be fine. All you have to do right now is get that spell. Do you understand?”

Looking up to the Ink demon, Bendy silently gazes at him before nodding

“Y-yeah; yeah. I understand… I’ll do it. But… how do we leave? How do we get out?”

“Well, only a full key can unlock the door that is the machine…”

“So, we’d have to be one person with one soul, includin’ the bit powerin’ the machine?…”

“Yes. And once the door is opened, the power of the machine will start to shut down; this whole realm will begin to collapse.”

“So, put ourselves back together, open the way out shuttin’ it down, then get tha hell out while we can?”

Nodding, the Ink demon gives him a stern look

“This can only be attempted  _ once _ . If Joey finds out, he’ll stop everything; we will never get another chance.”

“B-but what about everyone bein’ dead an’ made of ink?? What will happen when it shuts off fer good, an’ we all leave? What’ll happen ta  _ us _ ?”

“This I cannot answer; I don’t know. We’ll simply have to find out… for now, you must reach Joey’s office and get that spell. Bendy… help set us free. Free from Joey, and this wretched  _ machine _ . Even if we don’t know what will happen, I promise it’s far better than any of  _ this. _ ”

Bendy stares at him, the room around them beginning to turn black as they’re floating in space again, only the Ink demon with him now

“Find the book. Use the spell. Set. Us. Free.”

With a rush, Bendy was suddenly flying backwards away from the Ink demon; with a yell that was lost to the wind, he struggled to breathe.

With a gasp, Bendy’s eyes snapped open as he sat up, holding his head. Blinking, he realizes he’d been resting on a small pillowy set up on the floor after passing out. Slowly looking next to him, he sees Henry on a cot they’d found, resting as well. Then, looking to his other side, he notices Edgar propped against the wall near him, asleep.

Feeling dizzy with everything he’d learned and his new objective, Bendy looked to the entrance of the ink machine room they were currently in. He had to go find the book in Joey’s office and stop Joey from hurting them, and get the power to finally end the suffering of this dimension. However, he paused to look over at the sleeping form of his striker friend…

Had he been watching over him this whole time? Despite what he’d learned from his dreams, Bendy took the moment to process Edgar being asleep next to him instead. It was likely he’d helped make him comfortable, then fell asleep watching him… why was he always so dedicated like that?

Feeling confused, Bendy sighed before laying back down on the pillows; he wanted to at least get some  _ real _ sleep before he’d be running off into the dangerous depths of the studio again. Soon, he figured, he’d finally be playing the role Sammy and many others had expected of him for so long…

He was going to set them free.


	46. Not As It Seems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking up in a daze, Henry finds his little demon friend and Edgar have gone missing. Eager to find them again, he takes a moment to assess the situation before finding Bendy; but when they find him, something seems strange... but perhaps it's just in Henry's mind, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none
> 
> Notes: one drawing this time for chapter 46! Things are setting up for the fun stuff, so enjoy the calm intermission.. for now :P

* * *

“ _ Wake up... _ ”

A quiet voice drifted through the darkness of Henry’s mind, just barely audible. He laid unmoving, feeling heavy, groggy, and confused. 

“ _ Wake up. _ ”

The voice sounded closer now, but was whispery and hard to hear; despite it, he understood the words. Was he currently asleep? Trying to move, Henry didn’t get very far…

“WAKE UP!”

As if a rush of cold wind had blasted him, Henry’s eyes snapped open to sharp dripping teeth that belonged to the massive beast form of the Ink demon. Startled, he reeled backwards with a yell before falling off an invisible ledge into endless darkness, the beast watching him fall from above.

Closing his eyes again tightly, Henry braced for some kind of impact as he fell…

...Only to startle awake laying somewhere safe and soft.

Sitting up now, Henry took a deep breath before rubbing his head with a groan; it ached terribly. Looking around he realized he’d passed out yet again… he was rather talented at doing that apparently. Sighing, he looked over to an empty pile of pillows on the floor next to him- had someone been laying there? Before he could really question it, Boris approached him signing a greeting

‘Henry! You’re awake now! How’re you feeling?’

Smiling a bit, Henry felt glad to see his friend; Boris was always a welcome presence

“Hey buddy. I’m alright, just a headache… Gosh- I didn’t mean to make myself pass out like that, I’m sorry…”

Boris waves a hand shaking his head before signing again

‘It’s not your fault; things don’t tend to have reason here anyways. I’m glad you’re okay, but do you know what happened?’

Henry rubs at the back of his sore and stiff neck shrugging a little

“I’m not entirely sure… when I touched the machine, I just... got these weird flashes of imagery that hurt my head really bad. I guess I blacked out from it. How’s everything been going since then?”

Boris looks around at the dwindling group- it seemed most of them were out at the moment, with only Susie and Alice angel lingering. Turning back to Henry he frowns

‘Mostly been finding supplies and taking a break. There’s just one problem though…’

Henry frowns back at Boris, leaning forward

“Problem? What’s wrong?”

Whining, Boris hangs his head for a moment

‘Bendy is missing. So is Edgar; either they left together or he went hunting for Bendy on his own. We’ve been sending search parties, but haven’t found any sign of them…’

Henry looks to the pillows again, feeling rather alarmed at that; what would have caused Bendy to leave? Typically the little demon refused to be anywhere but by Henry’s side, especially when he was hurt, asleep, or unconscious… though, he supposes this wasn’t the first time he’d wandered off.

“I want to look for him.”

Boris whines softly, shaking his head

‘You just woke up from passing out! How can you be so eager to run off?’

“I’m fine; if anything, I got some much needed rest. I want to look for Bendy… He’s probably getting himself into trouble as we speak.”

Boris gently tugs on his ears making them comically stretch as he whines more, signing quickly

‘If anything, you’re as likely to get into trouble! Can we please take a moment to talk about this?  _ Please?? _ ’

Henry stares into Boris’ worried eyes before sighing softly, nodding a little

“...Alright. But I feel like the sooner we get out there to find him, the better. What if you come with me? Maybe we can even take Alice with us”

Boris looks over to Alice angel who was currently singing a merry tune while brushing Susie’s hair, who looked rather content herself. Boris pokes his fingers together before looking to Henry and signing again

‘Do you think that’s a good idea? This place is really scary, and I’m already not very brave myself; I don’t wanna subject her to it if we can help it…’

Henry ponders that, watching Alice tie a ribbon in Susie’s hair making the voice actress smile

“Hm… she doesn’t like violence, I know that much; she can easily hold her own though. She could help us locate Bendy with her powers, right?”

Boris still looked unsure, shrugging a bit; it seemed neither of them really knew what Alice was capable of. Cupping his chin in thought, Henry leans his elbows on his thighs

“There has to be some way to find Bendy… I just don’t know how. Do you know how far everyone’s checked for him?”

Boris sighs, shaking his head

‘Hard to tell; this place is big. Allison and Sammy’s groups should be coming back soon, maybe you can ask them?’

Henry nods, looking over to the others noting that besides himself and Boris, Alice angel and Susie were the only two here. They must’ve really been spreading out find the others after all. 

With a loud metallic groan, the doors to the ink machine’s room opened letting in Allison’s group. She was soon followed by Tom and the other butcher gang members who looked both disappointed and worried. Frowning himself, Henry figured that meant they were unsuccessful in finding either of their missing friends.

However, the mood changed a little upon noticing Henry was awake; Allison and Tom approached him as the other two went over to Susie but nodded in acknowledgement. Allison smiles, speaking first

“Henry. It’s good to see you’re awake… how’re you feeling?”

“I’m alright, just have a headache really… I guess weird things happen to me no matter what I do.”

Tom snorts, crossing his arms as his voice crackles from his speaker collar

“You could say that again. I’m guessing Boris told you about the missing duo?”

“Yeah. I really want to go looking for Bendy, but Boris thinks it’s a bad idea…”

“He’s probably right, considering your track record. You weren’t thinking of going alone, were you?”

“Er… guess I’ve been doing the whole ‘solo’ thing for too long, huh? I kind of learned to depend on myself.”

Allison sighs softly, handing a duffel bag to Tom

“I can relate a little. It took me a long time to adjust to being with Tom all the time, so I understand having those moments- but you shouldn’t go alone. Aside from that, we just got back from looking for them, and as you can probably tell we haven’t found much sadly.”

Tom moved the bag over to a table Henry figured was brought in when he was out; how much furniture had they moved? Setting it down, Tom started going through various tools and supplies while speaking again

“Unfortunately that little devil is real good at disappearin’ when he wants to. I’m sure he’ll turn up though… fella gets scared too easily. Not to mention hungry, for that matter…”

Boris’ stomach growled then, the wolf looking a bit embarrassed; across the room Alice angel giggled only embarrassing the wolf more. Allison smiles herself as well

“Speaking of hungry, it seems we should probably get started on dinner. Who knows; maybe the smell of food will lure them back. Henry, you hungry?”

“Now that you mention it… yeah, definitely. I’m guessing soup is still the only thing we have though…”

“Unfortunately. I haven’t seen anything really  _ edible _ here, and I don’t think tasting the ink is… a good idea.”

Boris makes a face at that which makes Tom snort

“I think someone’s tried already…”

Henry can’t help but smile before Susie sighs from across the room

“I miss the chocolates I had stashed in my personal office… They’re long gone now, but it would’ve been nice to have them back.”

Thinking of chocolate, Henry felt his mouth water a bit; it would be incredible to taste something besides the inky bacon soup for once. Somehow, he vaguely felt like he’d been offered complimentary chocolates once… but they had only been a two dimensional cutout. How disappointing. Shaking his head a little, he frowns realizing how easily he’d gotten off track from finding Bendy

“Hey; Do you think after eating we could go looking for him again? I know you just got back but I really want to try looking for him myself.”

Allison sighs softly, turning to Henry

“We spent hours looking, but I understand you’re worried. If you can get at least two others willing to go back out with you, then I’d say it’s safe enough. Personally, I’m too tired after fighting through rogue searchers and butcher clones all day”

Henry nods, looking to Boris

“Would you be willing to come with me buddy?”

Heaving a big dramatic sigh, Boris looks up to the ceiling while slumping forward slightly. He signs then,

‘I’ll go, but only because I really care about you and Bendy. I guess Edgar to an extension, but he scares me. And, I want a bone if we find one’

Henry smiles at that

“Oh c’mon, Edgar isn’t that bad… and i’ll help you find one; don’t worry.”

Boris smiles at that before Susie comes walking over surprisingly, part of her hair tied back laying over the rest of it with the ribbon Alice used.

“I’ll look. I want to find Edgar as much as you do Bendy. I’m worried about him… his leg wasn’t even finished healing, but he still ran off! I swear, your tendency to put others before yourself might’ve worn off on him a little bit too much Henry.”

“Sorry… I’d be happy to have you come with us though.”

Nodding, Susie smiles a little at him

“Besides a search party, I’d like to take some time to get to know the studios  _ other _ owner… In case it comes with any  _ perks _ later.”

Henry smiles a bit awkwardly at that

“Er… well, guess we’ll see, huh?”

He had to admit he hadn’t really considered much about the ‘after’ when they did finally get out of this dimension. In fact, he wasn’t sure exactly where they’d end up when this whole thing was over. For now however, their focus was simply to escape; whatever happened next, he was sure they could figure out as they went along. Also, right now he was more than ready to eat; Allison had set a large pot of soup to cook for them on a portable burner they’d apparently rigged up in their spare time. Looking to Henry, she smiles

“The soup will be ready before long; I’ll radio Sammy and Norman to let them know they should come back for food. If they don’t show up, then I guess It’s their loss...”

Henry nods to her, feeling a strange contentedness in the moment; though Bendy and Edgar were missing, the rest of them were acting almost domestic with one another. It made Henry feel less like they were in an evil supernatural studio, and more like a dreary apartment that was made better by its company. Hopefully, someday, they’d be out in a real home and sharing time together in a positive setting.

Henry was already imagining the nice decorative picket fence he’d like to paint a lovely dark green. He really missed color... especially green.

-

After having eaten (Without Sammy and Norman who hadn’t shown up), Henry felt like passing right back out again; he may not physically be a 70+ year old man anymore, but mentally he still felt like one. Shaking off the desire for a post meal nap, he focused himself for something more important; He, Boris, and Susie were preparing to look for Bendy and Edgar. Finally, for the first time since having come to the studio, Henry was gearing himself up properly instead of holding whatever he found in his hands.

Around his waist he now had a bulky utility belt courtesy of Tom, the pockets full of tools they might potentially need. The communication device which Barley had started calling a hand radio was clipped onto it, with spare batteries packed just in case. On his left hip an axe was comfortably and safely hooked in a way that was easy to remove if they found themselves in danger. On his other hip was a flashlight next to the radio, which Henry felt would prove a very useful addition. Looped around him, he had a rope thanks to Allison’s advice from a while ago; he just hoped they wouldn’t have to use it, as the mere thought of climbing or descending rope made his arms ache.

Finishing up his personal preparations, Henry blinked and looked up as Allison approached him holding something

“Before you go, I found something I figured you might like… I know Tom really likes the mini Boris he takes around with him in one of his pockets, soI felt maybe you’d like something too.”

Confused at first, Henry was about to ask when Allison produced one of the many mass-produced Bendy plushies from heavenly toys. The only difference this one in particular had however was an Alice angel plush’s halo had accidentally gotten sewn crookedly around one of its horns. 

Smiling with a small laugh, Henry takes it from her

“How on Earth did this happen?...”

“I don’t know, but when I saw it, I knew it would be perfect for you. A little memento to the hope you gave us, I suppose.”

Gently squishing it, the toy squeaks as endearingly as the others; it makes Henry smile even more.

“Thank you… I’ll be sure to keep it safe.”

Chuckling a little, Allison looks over to Tom who was avoiding her gaze

“Just like Tom and his tool Boris…”

“Tool Boris?”

“He swears it helps him fix mistakes. Maybe your Bendy will protect you; who knows?”

Henry nods, still smiling; it was rather cute.

“I’m sure he will. Thank you again”

“Of course. Be safe, Henry; try not to wander too far.”

Nodding to her one more time, Henry turns to tie the doll securely as possible to his right side. In a way, having it with him was already oddly comforting… he’d never thought to take one with him before. Susie and Boris both approach him then, equally prepared with their own gear. Susie looked a lot like Allison now with gear on her, but her hair and face were vastly different ever since she’d changed. Most notably (aside from the scarring) was her light hair; giving Henry a curious look, she twirls a lock of it

“Staring at me, Stein? Don’t tell me you’re getting feelings for me?”

Flustering a bit, he almost gawks before she snorts loudly

“Oh Henry, the look on your face  _ alone _ was worth it; I know you don’t feel that way, I’m just messing with you~ Besides, If  _ Joey _ was your type, I don’t think I’d want you to like me.”

Henry sighs, face palming gently

“Right. Thanks… is it alright if we get going now? Boris, you ready too?”

Boris nods to him, smiling. Susie snorts again, grinning

“Funny how a small while ago I would have been tearing you apart for my use… now, we’re on the same side and a mission together!”

Boris looks vaguely uncomfortable before Susie laughs at him, wiping her eye

“You two are too much! Lighten up; I’m only joking“

Henry makes a bit of a face at that, but turns to the door

“Well, all jokes aside, where do you think we should start looking?...”

Susie hums in thought tapping her chin

“Well, Allison already told me all the places they’ve already checked… but they could have moved to those areas since, so anywhere is game, really. Just lead the way and pick what feels right.”

Henry sighs a little thinking how that didn’t quite narrow their options. He hopes they’d figure it out along the way as the door opens, calling over his shoulder

“We’ll be back in a while; see you guys soon”

Once the doors had opened wide enough, Henry squeezed through being followed by the other two. He pauses while the doors start to reclose, looking to Susie

“Wait- how’re we going to get back in later? Didn’t Tom have the codes or something?”

Susie grins at him with amusement

“Thankfully, I thought of that already; we can radio to have them let us back in. If not, I also have the codes written on some scrap paper with me. Don’t worry about it.”

Henry sighs in relief, turning back to the hall they were in now

“I’m glad one of us is keeping tabs on things...”

He starts to walk forward when they approach the ink waterfall, making Henry frown as he realizes they didn’t have Bendy to part it; how had the others gotten through? That’s when Susie walks past him, holding up an umbrella

“I forgot to mention, we also need to use these to get through.”

“Yeah… thanks. I’m really not thinking things through right now, am I?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it; that happens when you’re worried. And, well… getting older.”

Henry makes a face at that comment; he’d feel more insulted, but she was right... he wasn’t particularly young. 

Beside him, Boris popped open his own umbrella which thankfully was wide enough for the two of them. Rather gracefully, Susie twirled hers open before putting it over her head. Without hesitation, she promptly passed under the torrential ink fall, waiting on the other side. Slowly, Henry and Boris followed suit; the sound of its weight raining down on the umbrella was almost oddly soothing. It reminded him of the many rainy days their studio had, and the way rain drumming on the roof made him feel comfortable while drawing. 

Safely through, Henry watched as both shake the excess ink off and re-close their umbrellas, leaving them by two others he notes must’ve been used by Sammy and Norman. Looking around, he really took in the view of the area this time. They were in a rocky cavernous area with wooden walkways that had been built along paths carved into the walls. There were also several ink waterfalls pouring randomly from above all over it, making the sound of running ink and splashing echo off the walls. Wherever they lead to, Henry wasn’t sure; they lead so far down and so far up it was too dark to see, and he wasn’t sure if he was hearing the ink splashing into a pool below or on itself. 

Additionally, there were so many pathways and doors to go through, he wasn’t surprised that the others looked for hours with no luck. He was slightly worried that they could potentially get lost wandering aimlessly, but he was sure they’d find their way back one way or another.

“Alright. Let’s see if we can find them…”

Susie and Boris both walk up on either side of him, Susie crossing her arms

“So, which way then?...”

Henry rubs his chin a little, furrowing his brow

“That’s… a really good question. You don’t think he went back to the vault, do you?...”

Shrugging, Susie looks to him

“It’s a possibility. Do you want to check?”

“I suppose it’s a start. What do you think, Boris?”

Boris shrugs as well, signing

‘I think it makes sense’

“Then let’s try to find our way to the vault”

Making their way carefully through the halls, Henry had to draw his axe on several occasions as they’d run into enemies much like Allison mentioned she had. Fortunately, none of them were the massive searcher that had attacked previously. Though, a thought now pressed into his mind; would the Ink demon potentially find them? If they returned to the vault, there was a chance he’d be lurking there with claws waiting for them to fall into.

“Hey guys, was there a protocol made for being found by the Ink demon?...”

Both Susie and Boris share looks before Susie shakes her head

“Not that I know of. I guess just try to survive without dragging him back to our hiding place?...”

Frowning, Henry glances to her

“Not really the most solid plan, is it?… but I guess there isn’t much else we could do”

Shrugging again, Susie changes the topic

“I’m sure it’ll be fine; I have things I wanted to ask about instead… like, did you have any hand in picking who to cast for roles at the studio?”

Henry blinks, thinking about that

“Mm… not really. I left before we started to really get anybody for the main roles… the cartoons were mostly silent at that time.”

Susie sighs at that, making Henry curious

“Here I was hoping more than just Joey appreciated me in my role…”

Boris gives her a sympathetic look, but Susie just grins at him

“Though, I don’t need someone else’s approval to know I was still perfect. At least, not anymore.”

Henry smiles a little at that; he liked her self-confidence and easily accommodating nature. It seemed Susie was rather good at handling all kinds of personalities, adjusting to them to get along. If anything, it showed she had quite the skills of an actress, adapting frequently like that. Speaking of acting…

“Can I ask you something back? How come Alice angel got a voice in the cartoons, but not Boris or Bendy? I heard a lot about Alice’s casting for speaking roles, but never them…”

Boris looks curious about that too as he turns to Susie, who looks a bit confused

“I… actually don’t know. Joey never casted for those roles… Boris would sometimes make sounds in the cartoons, but never really  _ spoke _ . Nor did Bendy… at least from what I remember.”

Henry furrows his brow at that 

“That’s odd. If Boris can’t speak because he never had a voice actor… then why is Bendy able to?”

Susie looks like she’s really thinking before snapping her fingers making both Henry and Boris flinch a little

“Oh!- oh, sorry about that; but I just remembered. Joey said something about starting the casting process for Bendy… but I don’t know if he ever got around to it before the studio shut down. How strange…”

Henry groans a little, meeting with Boris’ equally confused look

“Another mystery of this place… I just hope it’s not some dark secret I have to uncover…”

Turning a corner, they finally reach the vault having walked further than Henry had realized as they spoke. The door was at a crack since they’d last visited, the halls around still rather ominous and uninviting. Just being near the vault made Henry feel uncomfortable, especially considering what was inside it. The thought of his coffin being so near made him want to turn and head back, but if Bendy was potentially nearby, they had to look.

“Alright… we’re here. Let’s look around a little before looking…  _ in _ the vault.”

Henry shivers a bit from chills, frowning while the other two give him looks of concern. Susie became surprisingly gentle with him, reaching a hand out to touch his shoulder

“Henry… if you’re uncomfortable, we don’t have to be here. We can leave and look elsewhere; I’m sure they didn’t bother coming back for…”

She trails off as all three of them hear rustling inside the vault. Grimacing a little, Henry sighs in defeat

“Well… we  _ all _ heard that. No ignoring it this time, right Boris?...”

Boris whines, looking like he wished they could while Susie simply pulls her tommy gun from her belt. Really, Henry felt the weapon was overly efficient considering, but then again she was at least on their side. Naturally, it still wasn’t effective on the Ink demon however.

Having all drawn their weapons, the trio slowly approached the vault with Henry slightly in the lead. Bracing himself, Henry took in a breath before grabbing the vault’s handle; throwing it open, all three poised ready to attack. Inside, the vault was still a disastrous mess from earlier, and Henry couldn’t see anything alive otherwise that might’ve made the noise.

Slowly taking a step forward, he peered around before stopping entirely with a chilling disturbance settling on him. The coffin’s lid was slightly moved. Whispering to himself under his breath, Henry braces himself;

“Dear lord almighty of whatever might be out there… please, for the love of some god and everything that isn’t ink, do  _ not _ let something be wrong with my own  _ corpse... _ ”

Tensed up now, Henry cautiously takes a step forward as the other two stay near him. Suddenly, a pile of boxes next to the coffin tumbles apart making Henry aim his axe; A voice calls out however that stops him

“AHH, DON’T SHOOT DON’T SHOOT!”

Lowering his axe, Henry sighs loudly with relief; it was Bendy. He furrows his brow however

“Bendy, this is an axe-”

“I’m talkin’ to the dame aimin’ a gun at me!!”

Henry glances to Susie who was still holding up her gun before finally lowering it as well

“Just making sure…”

Bendy huffs a little

“Yeah, makin’ sure whoever crosses yer path becomes swiss cheese maybe!”

Frowning, Henry looks down on Bendy

“Why did you run off without telling anyone?? You scared us! I was worried”

Frowning back, Bendy looks to the coffin briefly

“I just… felt things were left a bit unfinished here. Sorry I didn’t tell ya…”

“What do you mean unfinished?”

“Well…”

Walking over to the coffin, he gently pulls the lid the rest of the way shut looking to Henry

“I just made sure to try cleanin’ up a little. It didn’t feel right leavin the uh, ‘old’ you in a rotten mess…”

Blinking, Henry’s expression softens as he feels a warm gratitude for the little devil tinged with sadness; Bendy was giving respect, likely having noticed how deeply it meant to Henry. Though, it made him feel a bit depressed because his own cartoon was paying respects to his deceased body.

“Bendy…”

“Hey, don’t go gettin’ all mushy on me! I-It’s just a silly gesture...”

“It means a lot to me though, and you knew that. Come here…”

Bendy makes a face, trying to protest as Henry knelt down hugging the little demon close now. He was relieved Bendy was alright, and that they’d finally found him; maybe the doll Allison had given him was lucky after all. 

Over his shoulder where he couldn’t see however, Bendy was making a face of disgust. The demon’s eyes meet with Boris’, who becomes a little uneasy; in return, the demon squints at him with a sneer that made the wolf blink and become even more nervous. Boris looks to Susie, only to find she hadn’t noticed as she asks something else instead;

“If Bendy’s here, then where’s Edgar?”

Henry frowns, letting go and looking to Bendy

“Hey… that’s right; Edgar went missing as well. We thought he was following you around, or looking for you”

Bendy shrugs, frowning at him

“I dunno; I didn’t see ‘im anywhere”

Susie looks rather worried and upset at that, making Boris try to gently comfort her as Henry sighs a little

“I hope we find him soon, then. Who knows where he went…”

Bendy shrugs again before looking up at Henry

“Couldn’t tell ya, I got a little lost just makin’ my way here… speakin’ of, would ya mind bringin’ me back?”

“Of course. We should look for Edgar first though, just in case”

Bendy grimaces a little at that, looking past Henry

“Man, he could be  _ anywhere _ … Do ya really think we’d be able to find him?”

“It wouldn’t hurt to take the time to look. Besides, aren’t you worried about him?”

Bendy looks a bit confused at first before blinking and nodding

“O-of course I am! I mean, he’s my friend an’ all. I just dunno where he’d be…”

Standing up now, Henry looks to the others, noticing Boris seemed rather… skeptical about something. His expression looked distrustful. What did he feel was wrong now?”

“Boris, everything alright?”

Boris stares past Henry at Bendy, whining a little; behind Henry, the little demon simply smiled innocently. What was Boris upset about? The wolf starts to sign, but pauses, seeming to change his mind before shaking his head; whatever made him do so, Henry wasn’t sure. Behind him however, the little demon had given Boris a cold look that was a clear silent threat; ‘don’t, or else’.

Henry turns to Bendy, looking down on him

“Well, either way we should probably start looking... you alright with heading out now? This vault still gives me the creeps…”

Bendy nods, starting to walk for the vault door

“Sounds good ta me. Where are we gonna look exactly?... an’ how long? I’m kinda hungry”

Henry smiles a little at that, scooping up Bendy which makes the little demon look rather surprised.

“We’ll look long enough for Susie’s and Edgar’s sake, but there’s soup waiting for you when we get back. If we’re lucky, for Edgar too.”

Strangely, Bendy struggles in his arms a little before pouting at him

“Do ya have to hold me?? I ain’t a baby, ya know”

Confused, Henry sets him back down

“Sorry... I was just under the impression you liked being carried”

“Well, maybe  _ before _ … but ya wanted me to act more grown up, right?”

Rubbing the back of his neck, Henry furrows his brow

“Er, I suppose I did say that… Glad you take my advice seriously at least.”

Susie clears her throat then, arms crossed

“Can we start looking for Edgar now? I’m worried. If he’s not with Bendy, then something bad could have happened to him…”

Boris whines again, staring at Bendy who simply smiles at him; Henry still didn’t understand entirely what was going on.

“Yeah, we should get going. Maybe we can check the halls closer to the others in case Edgar didn’t get very far…”

Bendy nods, looking up at Henry

“That sounds like a good idea ta me!”

“Right. Let’s head out then”

As they started walking, Henry can’t help but notice the air of their group seemed… off. Boris was clearly tense and uncomfortable for some reason, Susie was concerned about Edgar, and Bendy… well, he was pretty normal, but his refusal to be carried saddened Henry a little. Sure, he’d complained that Bendy had to act more his age earlier… but he actually liked carrying around the little demon. He hadn’t meant to offend him or make him change over it…

Either way, Henry hoped that they’d soon find Edgar and reunite with everyone; things were only getting weirder. He had a feeling this was just the start of something worse to come.


	47. Intimate Intermission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having gone searching for their missing cartoon friends, Sammy and Norman seem to have gotten 'lost'... or so Sammy thinks. Instead, Norman decided it was time for a little romance alone for once before having to return to the others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none
> 
> Notes: Happy pride month! I'm so glad this chapter came out when it started LOL

* * *

Sighing drastically, Sammy slumped against one of the many studio walls, sliding both hands down over his face. 

“Norrrrmaaaaaannnnn, we’ve been looking for  _ hoursss _ and we haven’t found anything! I’m sick of being assaulted by creepy butcher gang clones and having the life scared out of me by rogue searchers popping out of the blue!”

Currently, Norman had his back turned to Sammy as he rifled through a cabinet drawer. With a small grunt, he replies;

“More like popping out of the black, ‘cause of all the ink an’ no color”

Sammy gives him an unamused look despite the projectionist not being able to see it

“Aren’t you a funny man… you  _ know _ what I meant. How much longer are we going to waste our time out here, anyways? There’s probably no soup left for us by now.”

Norman straightens up then, brandishing what looked like an old plastic knife. Without answering Sammy, he walks over to a locked office door to start picking it with said plastic knife. Scoffing, Sammy follows while crossing his arms

“Norman, are you even listening to me? I’m tired, and want to go  _ back _ already”

Surprisingly, the office door clicks and swings open, Norman gesturing at it

“Ta-dah”

Still unamused, Sammy gives him another look

“Great… another office to look in. What’re we accomplishing with this, anyways?”

Norman simply walks into the office still not responding, which was starting to get on Sammy’s nerves. Following him, the music director pouted grumpily watching Norman open a drawer to a desk that was shoved to the wall.

“Are you going to answer me, or am I talking to a cardboard cutout??”

“Ah-hah; finally! I knew it would still be here…”

Sammy blinks, raising an eyebrow

“What? Found  _ what?? _ Where are we right now, and what were  _ you  _ looking for? Were you looking for something else this  _ whole _ time??”

Turning to him, Norman held up a small box that looked rather fancy for a place like this. Confused, Sammy examines it before looking up to the flickering lens of his partner

“Alright… it’s a box. Are you going to answer me now?”

“It ain’t just a box; I’ll show you in a sec. This was my old spare office back when Joey kept movin’ me around because the reels and boxes of broken junk equipment filled my other ones. I’m surprised this actually stayed behind…”

Uncrossing his arms, Sammy impatiently stamps one foot lightly

“Norman, what  _ is _ it?? What did we spend all this time looking around for- some special projector lens or something?”

“No, better. I’ll admit... I may have dragged us further than we had to go for a lot longer than we needed to spend, but I wanted to see if I could find this. Here... it’s for you”

Gently placing the dusty black box into Sammy’s hands, Norman’s light seemed to get brighter with excitement

“Go on; open it”

Looking at the rather small box, Sammy gives him a funny look before smiling a little

“You dragged us all the way here to possibly find something for  _ me? _ ... You’re ridiculous, you know that?”

“Maybe… but I know how much ya like theatrics. Just open it, I’ve been waitin’ forever to give it to ya”

Sammy huffs a small laugh, finding it amusing how the impatience had transferred so quickly from him to Norman

“Alright, alright; I’m opening it…”

Blowing some of the dust off, Sammy coughed a little before starting to wedge the lid off; it was slightly stuck due to being buried under heavier things for so long. With a little force however, it popped off, thankfully not throwing what was inside to the floor. Glancing curiously, Sammy’s eyes slowly widened with wonder... glittering on silky cloth was a music note pin that had clearly been bought from some sort of jewelry store.

“Norman… it’s…”

“Ah, I know... kinda cheesy. I didn’t really know if you liked jewelry, so I went with something you might wear on your fancy vests. It’s  _ supposed _ to be gold plated, but this place kinda takes all the color from it… It’s not much, but I wanted to get somethin’ nice for ya. Sorry it ain’t solid… it was all I could afford”

Sammy gently takes the pin from the box, examining it closely before smiling at Norman

“...I was going to say it’s  _ lovely _ . I don’t care how expensive it is, or that it’s cliche being a music note; I care that you bought me something at all, trying to tailor it to my taste even”

Taking a moment to fasten it to one of his suspender straps, Sammy admired it a little longer before setting the box down

“Norman, why did you buy this for me so long ago?... And why look for it now?”

Huffing himself now, Norman gently crosses his arms

“Well, back then I wanted to show ya how I really felt  _ somehow _ that wouldn’t be me stumblin’ over words embarrassin’ myself. Also, I figured with everythin’ that’s been goin’ on  _ now…  _ you could use some cheerin’ up.”

Feeling a little flustered by the gesture and warmed by Norman’s thoughtfulness, Sammy smiles glancing down to the floor.

“Oh, Norman…  _ now _ you’re being cheesy. But…”

Taking a step forward, he gently wraps his arms around the projectionist’s shoulders

“...I like you being cheesy. Thank you.”

Gently moving the side of his warm projector head to Sammy’s cheek, Norman chuckles softly from his speaker.

“I’m glad. I just want to make sure ya still knew I’m thinkin’ about you…”

Sammy closes his eyes, smiling so much his cheeks were aching a little, but it didn’t matter to him. The sweetness of the moment was filling him with warm joy that he hadn’t felt in a long time. 

Moving closer now, Sammy hugs Norman tightly feeling the gesture returned by the other. Resting his head on Norman’s shoulder that wasn’t obstructed by a reel, Sammy simply enjoyed the comforting yet thrilling feeling of being so close to someone. It had been a long time since he’d been openly intimate with someone, especially in this world; doing so now made it feel even more special.

“Norman… I love you…”

Feeling Norman’s projector head gently nuzzle him, Sammy smiled; the buzz of his speaker on his chest tickled slightly and sounded rather funny muffled by their embrace. His words weren’t any less impactful nonetheless...

“I love you too, Sammy”

Burrowing his face into Norman’s shoulder now, Sammy sighed softly wanting to spend an hour like this. He figured the other must’ve felt the same, as neither of them were moving to break their embrace. Slowly, he felt a hand rubbing over his back as Norman spoke again

“Ya know, It’s times like this I really wish I could kiss ya…”

Sammy frowns a little at that, opening his eyes; was there something wrong he hadn’t caught on with Norman? Both himself and Susie had changed physically when something changed for them internally… but Norman was still the same. Was something wrong with him? Not to mention, was he upset by his current condition?

Leaning back in the embrace so their gazes meet, Sammy furrowed his brow a little

“Norman... are you alright? You almost sound upset...”

Staring quietly as his lens flickers, the projectionist sighs while glancing away

“C’mon, don’t give me that look… you’ll  _ make _ me feel sad”

“Norman, I mean it though- are you okay?”

Another moment of silence passed before Norman finally met his gaze again

“I dunno... I’m happy; I really am! I have you an’ the others. But I just… I guess I’m just disappointed. In myself, an’ this body I’m stuck with…”

Taking a step back from Sammy, Norman holds his arms out as he looks over himself

“I mean, just  _ look _ at me; I’m all covered in wires, my limbs are clunky and strange, an’ I have a  _ projector _ for a head. How am I supposed to eat? How am I supposed to express myself, or even speak without some tool stuck in my chest?”

Dropping his arms to his sides, he sighs heavily

“Seein’ you so happy an’ close to what ya were before makes me happy, but… I guess I’m a little jealous. I wish I didn’t have to be stuck feelin’ like an abomination…”

Frowning, Sammy gently places his hands over his heart, feeling the pin under them.

“Norman… I-I didn’t know, I… I’m sorry”

Looking to Sammy now, Norman shakes his head

“Ah, don’t be; It’s not your fault in any way. I’m just being upset over somethin’ I should be used to by now… it really ain’t that big a deal”

Walking closer, Sammy puts both hands on either side of Norman’s projector head, angling it towards his own

“You have every right to be upset. Just because It's been a long time doesn’t mean you have to dismiss it… if it bothers you, It’s important. I just wish I’d realized sooner so I could have helped you with it”

Norman sighs again, gently cupping one of Sammy’s hands to his ‘face’

“I don’t know how you could help me bein’ like this… but you carin’ does make me feel a bit better. The fact that you could possibly love me even like  _ this  _ means a lot”

Frowning a little, Sammy moves closer still

“Of course I don’t care what you look like; it doesn’t change the grouchy but loving and cheesy cowboy on the inside…”

Norman huffs at that

“Cowboy?? Just ‘cause I have a slightly southern accent doesn’t mean I’m a  _ cowboy _ …”

Sammy chuckles at that before giving a warm kiss to the front of Norman’s projector. Norman became quiet before pulling Sammy back into another embrace, gently running a hand through the back of his hair now

“Wish I could feel your kisses more clearly… this projector doesn’t have the best sense of touch”

Sammy gently caresses the side of Norman’s head, frowning again

“There  _ has _ to be a way to help you… this  _ can’t _ be it- If me and Susie were able to change, then you should too! It just isn’t fair…”

Noman sighs softly before pulling Sammy into a tighter hug, nuzzling him gently again

“Don’t get all worked up over it for me… It’s true that I wish I was more human like you, but it’s not the worst thing in the world. If something happens, it’ll happen; I’m just glad I have you in the meantime.”

Sammy felt his eyes tear up a little before pressing his face back to Norman’s shoulder.

“I just want to make you as happy as you make me…”

Suddenly, Norman swung Sammy under him causing the music director to cling to him tightly, gasping in the process. The projectionist was now dipping him dramatically, supporting him by an arm around his waist. Despite not having a face, Sammy could tell Norman was rather smug as he speaks;

“You already do. Being romantic with you like this makes me happier than you’d believe…”

Flustering, Sammy huffs before smirking a little

“I-Is that so? Then maybe we should be more romantic more often…”

“That supposed to be some kind of challenge?”

“No, more like an invitation…”

Norman silently stares at him before moving them back upright, gently pressing Sammy to the wall

“Consider it accepted.”

Flustering more, Sammy chuckles before wrapping his arms around Norman’s neck, pulling him into another kiss despite the futility of it. Norman seemed to be enjoying it nonetheless, wrapping one arm around Sammy’s shoulders and the other around his waist holding them close. In return, Sammy began placing kisses all over Norman’s projector head before deciding to place one on his neck where he may actually feel it. Immediately the projectionist tenses in response, huffing a little

“Hey, that tickles! watch it…”

Sammy can’t help snorting at that

“Sorry; I just figured you’d be able to actually feel it”

“Yeah, I felt it alright, and it  _ tickled _ .”

Sammy laughs happily before sighing and resting his head against Norman’s

“I love you so much, you dork…”

“Heh… ya know I love ya too. Nerd.”

Cuddling together alone, Sammy had long forgotten any irritation about spending so much time out and about. In fact, now he didn’t really want to return to the others because it meant he was free to be intimate with Norman. Giving another gentle kiss to Norman’s face, Sammy smiles

“Hey… I know how we could make this better.”

“Oh yeah? How so?”

“Would you mind playing some music on your speaker? How about something classical, soft and sweet”

“Classical? I have a better idea.”

“Norman, I swear…”

Chuckling, Norman took a step back, his speaker clicking much like the sound of a record being selected. Eyeing him, Sammy crossed his arms with a grin waiting for whatever terribly cheesy song was about to start playing. Hearing some static-y notes start up, Sammy shook his head recognizing the song from the radio; it was ‘You Send Me’ by Sam Cooke. Trying hard not to laugh at the cheesiness, Sammy raises an eyebrow when Norman offers him a hand. 

“Care to dance?”

“Hm… And if I say no?”

“You’ll make me  _ reel  _ sad”

“Puns??  _ Really?? _ ”

“I think you mean  _ Reel- _ y-”

“If I dance, will you shut up?”

“Deal.”

Positively beaming, Sammy took his hand getting pulled in close; holding onto one another now, they began to slowly sway and spin around the room together. Sammy had danced plenty of times before so he was fairly good at it, but he was surprised to find Norman knew how. After all, he always seemed like a grouchy shut-in who didn’t spend much time doing things like dancing. Maybe there was a side to Norman he had yet to uncover… and he looked forward to doing so.

“Where’d you learn to dance?...”

“Kinda hard to be part of a school of arts without getting dragged into things like dances.”

Sammy chuckles, gently pressing his forehead to front of Norman’s lens case

“Really? That’s something to imagine… how bad were you at first?”

“Ah c’mon, do ya have ta ask?... I think ya already know the answer. I’m Tall and lean… it was like watching a giraffe learn to be human”

Sammy bursts out laughing at that, shaking his head before beaming at Norman again; if the projectionist could smile, Sammy was sure he’d be doing so just as much. However, the moment was cut short as the radio comm on Sammy’s belt buzzed to life, Allison’s static-y voice calling out

“Sammy, Norman, can you hear me? Is everything alright?”

Sighing with disappointment now, Sammy pulls the radio from his belt clicking the button to respond while Norman paused the music.

“Yes, everything’s alright; we just took a detour and wound up further than we meant to be. Why, do you need us?”

“Just wanted to make sure, you’ve been gone for a while. I also wanted to let you know that Henry managed to find Bendy, but still no sign of Edgar. Any luck with you guys?”

Sammy silently stares at Norman who stares back before snirking a little

“Uh, unfortunately not… We’ll keep an eye out for him though”

Clicking the radio off, Sammy starts to kiss Norman before the radio buzzes once more

“Actually, you should probably return for now; the Ink demon hasn’t shown for a while, and could at any moment. It’ll be safer to have everyone regroup”

Frowning, Sammy groans rolling his head dramatically making Norman snicker before he responds to Allison for him

“Alright, we understand. We’ll be on our way; hopefully won’t take too long.”

Giving Norman a look of disappointment, Sammy puts the radio back on his belt

“Unfortunately, she has a point. I’d rather  _ not _ get found by the Ink demon... I just hope we can find an excuse to get away from the others again soon.”

Norman gently presses his face to Sammy’s like a mock kiss before letting go, chuckling a little

“I’m sure there’ll be plenty of opportunities... but we should get goin’, we got a bit of ground to cover before we make it back”

“Alright… but I’m still going to pout about it”

As they began to walk, Sammy clung to Norman’s arm, smiling at him innocently. Norman shook his head a little, not saying anything otherwise. Snuggling to his side, Sammy wished they didn’t have to worry about things like demons and supernatural strange bodies… someday, they were going to get out of this Hell, and hopefully Sammy could properly be with Norman. It’d be nice to be able to count on one another for something mundane like paying bills rather than defending one another’s lives from impending death for a change.


	48. Didn’t See That Coming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trying to get his thoughts together, Henry comes face to face with new problems; something is off with Bendy, resulting in an unfortunate altercation. While he's left to continue wondering, the wolves of the group find a terrible truth...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mild injury
> 
> Notes: only one drawing for chapter 48 this update. Once again I'd like to thank everyone for all of the amazing comments and kudos; it's highly appreciated! I always read every comment if I don't respond!

* * *

Sitting at a table and drawing, Henry was trying to help himself think, which he often did better when keeping his hands busy. Bendy was found and safely back with the others, as were Sammy and Norman who had finally returned to them. Unfortunately, they hadn’t seen any signs of Edgar despite how many search parties had gone out- which only made Susie and the other butcher gang members more worried. Currently, Henry was wondering what they were supposed to do next; their previous plans to thwart the Ink demon had failed miserably, and now a new enemy was on the playing field... one that was possibly even more powerful and deadly.

Sighing to himself, Henry frowns at the drawings he’d made; he hadn’t realized how much he’d let his emotions shape them. On the paper were twisted menacing Ink demon sketches along with deeply obscured Joey silhouettes. Scribbling over Joey’s barely-a-face even more, Henry shoved the paper to the floor before pulling a hand over his face; why?? Why did he have to be  _ back? _ Though it may seem cruel, Henry had much preferred the idea that his old partner and friend was gone.

Starting a new drawing, Henry let his hand move almost on its own as he continued thinking. Joey had pieces of every soul he’d ever fed the machine, and it was clear they gave him some kind of power. Additionally, he had control over the Ink demon who could potentially be feeding off that power as well. How were they supposed to win?

Adding even more to the problem, Henry wasn’t without his own troubles already. His left shoulder and upper chest were starting to ache more as the black infection was slowly spreading again. He was also still trying to deal with the shock of finding his dead body, and the consistent trials of emotion that came with it. 

Fighting off hopelessness was only getting harder, and the pressures of being leader while the group depended on him was starting to weigh heavily. He knew they had offered many times to help shoulder the burden, but Henry had a bad habit of trying to keep his problems to himself. Why did he have to be stubborn sometimes?... How did watching Joey spiral into this not make him avoid it?

Looking at the paper, Henry blinked as he saw what he’d been rather mindlessly scribbling… it was a rather small, scared, depressed looking Bendy who was being eclipsed by a massive shadowy beast-demon. Sighing softly, he leaned his cheek into one hand staring down at it... the image fit his mood rather well.

Next to him, the sound of a paper crinkle from the floor announced another presence. Looking over, Henry realizes Bendy had picked up the page of drawings covered in the Ink demon and scribbled out Joey. Examining it, he gives Henry a questioning look

“What’s this?...”

“Just some sketches… I like to draw when I think sometimes. I was so caught up thinking about them, I guess it’s what came out…”

Bendy furrows his brow a bit while looking at the images before asking,

“Why’s the Ink demon look so twisted?... are ya scared of ‘im?”

Frowning, Henry looks at the page in Bendy’s hand

“I mean, of course I am. I didn’t mean to make it look that bad, though… I was thinking about how he’s being corrupted by Joey. It’s upsetting, to say the least…”

Bendy gives him a rather blank look before frowning and setting it on the table

“Yeah?... like what?”

Scooting his chair back a bit, Henry sets his pen down while looking to Bendy

“It’s a lot of things. I’m worried mostly about the fact that Joey’s here, that he has bits of souls, and that he’s practically puppeteering the Ink demon  _ and  _ us. I’m also worried how much power the two have between them…”

Bendy shrugs a little, nodding

“Souls are pretty powerful.. But ya gotta remember, the more different bits ya have, the less stable the person who has ‘em will be. Too many voices. Blech.”

Henry blinks at that, frowning more

“You’re right. It’s just like with Susie… Do you think they’ll drive Joey insane?”

Snorting, Bendy sneers a little

“The man already is!”

Henry stares at him before Bendy blinks and frowns back

“But, I mean… the longer he has ‘em, yeah. He’s already probably had them fer a  _ really _ long time now though… who knows how long we’ve all been in here, and how far gone he might be?”

Henry groans, rubbing his face a bit

“You’re right again… maybe he’s gone mad with power. Literally. But if Susie was able to recover, maybe...”

Bendy eyes him skeptically

“Ya don’t mean _redeem_ Joey, right?”

Henry shakes his head, tapping a finger on the table

“No; I hate to say it, but I don’t think there’s a way he could reasonably nor meaningfully redeem himself from this. Recover though? Maybe. He could at least be aware of everything he did wrong, and hopefully regret it while paying for it.”

Bendy nods sagely at that, crossing his arms

“It’d probably be beneficial to get them away from him then, huh?”

Henry ponders for a moment before responding

“Yeah… but the question is left of how. I don’t think anyone with that much power would ever willingly let it go.”

Shaking his head, Bendy approaches him

“Ya probably gotta just take it from him”

Henry raises an eyebrow at him curiously

“What, just walk up and grab it? I doubt he’d let me get anywhere  _ near _ him.”

Bendy shrugs, smiling at him now

“Eh, you’d be surprised! I think he still has a weird obsession with ya. Ya saw how he’s been actin’ aboutcha, right?? He even ordered the Ink demon ta leave ya alive an’ stuff.”

Henry furrows his brow at that, rubbing his chin in thought

“You’re right… again and again; when did you start getting smart like that?”

Bendy makes a bit of a face, giving a so-so gesture with one hand

“Eh, sometimes I’m smart; everyone’s got their moments!”

Henry snorts a little at that, raising an eyebrow

“Are you saying you’re dumb most of the time?”

Bendy looks at him blankly before snorting back

“Heh-heh… maybe”

Henry grins at the little demon, reaching down and scooping him up onto his lap now. However, Bendy squirms a little frowning from it

“Hey- I thought we agreed no more babyin’!”

“Aw c’mon, you don’t even want to sit with me anymore? Don’t you remember when we first met? I let you sit on my lap just like this while I was drawing, and let you draw with me…”

Staring blankly, Bendy makes a face shrugging

“Eh, that was a while ago; can ya put me down now?”

Blinking, Henry frowns and sets him back down. He didn’t show it, but internally he was a bit hurt; that first moment was special to him, and a good memory. Did it really not mean anything to the little demon?...

Bendy twitches a little then, scratching at his arm frowning

“Uh, I’m gonna take a breather. I’ll be back in a bit; who knows, maybe I’ll come across Edgar this time?”

“Are you sure? I can come with you. It’s not really safe to be going out alone, you know”

“I’ll be fine! I have been the other few times, haven’t I??”

“I suppose…”

“It won’t take too long; I’ll be back in a bit. Promise!”

With that, Bendy scurried towards the exit, leaving rather quickly. 

Slowly turning back to his drawings, Henry frowned looking at all the smiling Bendys he’d made. Lately, Bendy had been taking a lot of ‘breather’ breaks to leave their hide-out and walk around alone. Ever since they’d come back from the vault he’d been acting different, and less friendly with the group. Did something happen to him while he was out on his own? It was making Henry worry… and also hurt.

Gently touching his drawings, he thinks how he and Bendy had spent so much time getting so close. Bendy and him had become almost inseparable, with the little demon always clinging to him and happy to see him. But now… well, it seemed like he wanted to get away from them more and more. Henry hoped he hadn’t said or done something to hurt Bendy’s feelings. Had he done something to push him away? What if he ended up disliking them? Hating them, even? The mere thought of him leaving to join Joey made Henry ache with cold dread.

A hand touches his shoulder then, making Henry turn to see Susie smiling comfortingly at him.

“Don’t look so beat up, Henry… I think he’s just going through a rebellious phase. You  _ know _ Bendy adores you, right? I think he’s just a little worked up over everything that’s happened… plus, I think he’s eager to find Edgar because they’re close. There’s something going on between them...”

Henry sighs heavily, nodding a little

“I know he cares, I just… I guess I got used to being so close all the time. It’s hard to see him starting to be less dependent. It’s almost like watching my own kid… grow up…”

Henry stares listlessly into space then, feeling… empty. In his mind, he could almost swear he heard the echo of a child’s laughter haunting him. He really missed his old family…

Blinking back to the present, Henry looks over to Susie who was grimacing from the heaviness of his words. Grimacing back, Henry waves one hand a little

“Sorry, sorry- I didn’t mean to make that dark. I just miss my daughter, and…”

Pausing, Henry slowly makes a face of confusion

“...did you say Bendy and Edgar have something going  _ on? _ ”

Susie blinks before snorting at him

“You only  _ now _ caught onto that?! Oh, Henry…”

“What did you mean by that?? What’s going on with Bendy and Edgar??”

“Now you sound like a defensive dad.”

“Susie, what’s going on! I mean it!”

Chuckling at him, Susie gently pats his shoulder

“Calm down, don’t give yourself a heart attack! It’s just that Edgar and Bendy have been hanging out a lot, I think they’re close friends”

Grumping a little, Henry mutters

“I’m not  _ that _ old… at least not anymore.”

Sighing, he looks to her

“Close friends? You mean just like, platonically?”

From across the room then, Alice angel giggles which did not give Henry confidence.

“No, silly! I think Edgar really has a crush on Bendy! Oh, but Bendy is so oblivious… It’s almost sad”

Henry makes a face at that, thinking about it; Susie was right about one thing… he felt like a defensive dad. Though, in all honesty, if anyone had to have a crush on Bendy… Edgar was probably the best thing that could’ve happened. The mere idea of  _ Charley _ influencing him… Henry didn’t want to consider the chaos that would ensue. 

Susie rolls her eyes at him then

“Come on Henry, it’s not like Edgar is bad for him… Edgar is a responsible adult who would help keep your little demon in check if anything.”

Henry groans, covering his face with both hands

“I know, It’s just… I didn’t expect to have my own cartoon become like a son to me, then watch him grow up like one too. It’s almost embarrassing… for both of us I’m sure.”

Henry hears several chuckles from the others, which only makes him feel more self-conscious. If he was fully honest with himself though, it wasn’t terrible; in fact, it was rather endearing. Though, he remembers the whole growing distant and possibly rebellious thing and felt sad again. It was kind of funny to imagine that Bendy was acting like a teenager though, considering he was at least thirty years old, having grown with the studio.

The door re-opens then as Bendy comes walking back in, stretching his arms. Turning to him, Henry tries not to let his upset show

“Have a good walk?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah; nothin’ really happened so I guess you could call it good. Still no Edgar though… I dunno if he’s even on the same level anymore”

Susie frowns at that, crossing her arms with worry

“Where could he be?... y-you don’t think he-?”

Henry quickly cuts in, frowning

“No. There’s no way. He’s out there somewhere, I’m sure of it. We just have to find him.”

Nearby, he sees Charley and Barley both sulking; they’d become rather upset by Susie’s speculation, so Henry jumped in to try and comfort all of them. Turning back to Bendy, Henry decides to try and hopefully lighten the mood… by embarrassing Bendy

“Hey, Bendy… I wanted to ask you something”

Blinking, he turns to Henry

“Huh? Like what?”

“The others were talking about how close you’ve gotten with Edgar. Did you notice that he might have a crush on you?”

Alice angel clasps her hands to her mouth while Charley and Barley both make faces, probably having kept such a thing secret for Edgar only for Henry to blurt it out. Bendy simply stares back at Henry, looking absolutely blanked at his words before he leans his head forward a little making a face

“Huh??”

“Edgar. You spent so much time with him, the others say he developed feelings for you… did you notice anything like that?”

Susie looked rather amused while everyone was now watching Bendy, who seemed a bit nervous at all the attention.

“Uhhhhh… I mean… I don’t… really know about that,”

Alice angel sighs, shaking her head

“See what I mean, Henry? Clueless!”

Bendy blinks then before seeming somewhat… relieved?

“Yeah, I dunno what you’re talkin’ about. He’s just my friend, right? He didn’t  _ /say/ _ anythin’ about likin’ me…”

The other two butcher gang members seemed both glad but disappointed at the same time that Bendy was being so oblivious. Henry could hear Charley trying (and failing) to whisper to Barley,

“Aww, I’m just dyin’ to tell him! Ed is too much of a pushover scaredy cat to admit it- maybe we can help him!”

Barley was shaking his head at that, mumbling rather quietly

“I think he should be the one to tell him… don’t spoil it.”

Henry smiles a little, glad to have reduced some of the tension and sadness in the room. Bendy still seemed off though, which was making Henry feel the same. Thinking about it, Henry decides he wanted to do something…

Getting up with a grunt, Henry walks over to Bendy who was now slowly frowning at him, seemingly aware of what was about to happen. Henry scoops him up then, hugging the little demon close and snuggling him tightly; already he could feel Bendy getting tense and struggling

“HEY! WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA??”

Smiling, Henry continues to cuddle him

“You’ve been so grouchy and cold lately, I think you need some affection; I know everything’s been getting to me, so It’s probably been getting to you too”

Struggling hard, Bendy was grimacing at him

“Uuuuugh! Let me go! Yer bein’ real sappy an’  _ gross! _ ”

“Oh come on Bendy, I know you pretend to hate it but actually like it”

“What?! Yer full of lies! Let me go!”

“Not until you admit you love me.”

“WHAT?? NO WAY!!”

“Guess you live in my arms now”

“AUUUGH!!”

Henry was waiting for the demon to give up his charade of grouchiness as he often did, putting up a fuss before giving in and getting sappy back. However, he was being a lot more resilient this time… maybe Susie was right, and he was feeling more distant. Sighing, Henry holds Bendy away from himself now

“Alright, I’ll stop smothering you; I just wanted to help you try and feel better...”

Bendy, However, was glaring at him now. That was… a first.

“I  _ said. Put. me. DOWN! _ ”

With that, Henry flinches as the demon’s hand swiped past his face. Shocked, he drops him feeling a stinging pain now burning on his left cheek. Taking a step back, Henry clasps a hand over it hearing several many gasps around the room; on the floor, Henry could see Bendy rubbing his back, his other hand clawed with an inky spatter on his glove…

Pulling his hand away from his face, Henry stares at the fresh ink he realizes was his blood.

“You… clawed me?”

Bendy blinks then, his eyes shrinking with horrified realization. All around them, Henry could tell the others were just as stunned as he was. Bendy shakes his hand off desperately, getting up and reaching out towards Henry

“H-Henry, I-I didn’t mean to-”

Tom suddenly steps between them, growling down at Bendy who stumbles backwards falling down again. Henry blinks, holding an arm out

“Hey- no, It’s okay! H-he didn’t mean to, I was being too pushy and over stepping boundaries-”

Tom gives him a look as if Henry had spoken some alien language, his collar speaker buzzing

“Are you out of your mind?? He just  _ assaulted _ you! Even if you were bothering him, that’s no excuse to draw blood!”

Henry frowns at that, looking to Bendy who seemed to be panicking

“Henry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to, I-I was just- I didn’t-”

Tom growls again making the demon go quiet, but Henry still holds him back

“Tom, stop-”

Alice angel had come hurrying over, looking upset

“Bendy, how could you?!”

Looking more upset, he shrinks a little

“I-I don’t know, I just-”

Boris whines loudly at him too, everyone starting to rile into a fuss. Henry was trying to calm them down, but his cheek stung rather badly and it was swelling a little; the injury wasn’t minor. On the floor, Bendy was looking more and more overwhelmed before he suddenly bursts into tears. Almost immediately, the others had gone quiet now backing away a little. 

Henry frowns, moving in quickly to scoop up the little demon who looks to him with watery eyes

“I-I’m Sorry! I didn’t mean to…”

Henry quietly hushes him, holding the little demon close now; this time, Bendy didn’t protest as he hugs back finally. Strangely enough, Henry actually felt relieved; perhaps he’d finally gotten Bendy to stop hiding his stress from everything so he could recover. Comforting the demon Henry speaks quietly and reassuringly

“It’s okay, I understand; you were upset… sometimes things build up, okay? You didn’t mean to…”

Sitting down with the demon, Henry holds him close as Bendy cries on him. Part of him was glad to finally be close with Bendy again, but another part was nagging him about being far too forgiving too often. The expressions of the others mirrored the thought.

Allison approaches him, sighing as she looks at his cheek

“Alice, can you help me with this?”

Alice angel nodded, walking over to help with Henry’s wound. The others slowly went back to their respective corners, but were keeping a close eye on Henry. Boris in particular was eyeing Bendy, looking even more nervous and distrustful since the vault. Tom also looked rather skeptical, eyeing Bendy with a more aggressive attitude. Henry wasn’t sure what was going on in their minds but he hoped they wouldn’t do something to Bendy for this.

His thoughts were distracted however as Alice started to heal his wound, making Henry hiss in pain and tense up.

“Sorry! I-I forgot to mention it would sting!”

“J-just get it over with, quickly!”

Nodding, Alice continued fixing his wound with some kind of tune, the ring on her palm glowing. After what felt like agonizing hours that had really been minutes, Henry sighed in relief feeling the pain fade from his face. Running a hand over his cheek, he frowns upon feeling fine lines on it…

“Did it... scar?”

Alice and Allison were both making faces that suggested as much. Frowning more, Henry sighs

“I’m guessing that’s a yes…”

Bendy clings tighter to Henry, whining

“I’m sorryyyyy! I’m a  _ horrible  _ person…”

Gently squeezing Bendy back, Henry closes his eyes taking a moment to breathe. He hadn’t intended for things to spiral out of hand like this...

“It’s alright Bendy… I’m fine.”

Though, deep down, Henry felt something else; there was a cold, deep, painful sadness lingering. In the brief moment Bendy had struck, something else had been cut deeply. His trust in the little demon whom he loved unconditionally, whom he believed would never hurt him... had been damaged. 

Worst of all, Henry felt immensely guilty for something else on the edge of his conscience. 

He was afraid.

Afraid that not only Bendy had hurt him, but that it could happen again, and it might mean something much worse was happening to him. And that, he thinks, was scaring him the most.

Looking down to Bendy again with a frown, Henry caresses the little demon’s head feeling nothing but worry for him. He hoped that this wasn’t a sign of something worse to happen between them. Shaking his head, Henry looks over to his cot 

“I think now would be a good time to take a rest…”

-

It was late, or so it seemed with no real way to tell time. Everyone had turned out the lights and decided to rest upon Henry’s suggestion, so it felt much like the middle of the night. Though, two of them stayed up to keep watch in case something happened; Boris and Tom. Quietly, they were playing a card game together while around the others slept. On the pillow pile next to Henry, Bendy slowly began to stir and get up; he had to take another ‘walk’.

Starting to head for the door feeling a bit groggy, he suddenly found the way was blocked by both Tom and Boris who had quickly moved to stop him. Slowly looking up at the two wolves, Bendy blinked, surprised to see both Tom  _ and _ Boris looking rather aggressive.

“Can I help ya, fellas?”

Tom sneers, keeping his voice down as he spoke

“Where do you think you’re going, huh? To run off on another one of your little ‘walks’? Something’s going on here, and neither I nor Boris trust it- nor trust  _ you _ .”

Blinking, Bendy frowns

“Aw, c’mon! Boris buddy, do ya really not trust me??”

Boris growls a little, signing

‘You’re not my buddy. You’ve been acting off… way too off!’

Bendy scoffs at that

“Off?? How have I been actin’ off??”

Tom growls threateningly again, gripping his axe

“Cut the crap. You’re not going anywhere. Either sit back down, or things are going to get  _ ugly _ .”

Sneering, Bendy glares at him

“They already are, lookin’ at  _ yer _ mug…”

Growling more, Tom looks ready to attack; Bendy, however, began feeling aching pain all over his body making him grip his gut and double over

“Urrrgh! C-C’mon, j-just… let me go! I gotta get out-”

“Why? What’s goin’ on with you, huh?”

“J-just let me out! I’m warnin’ ya!”

Tom and Boris stood their ground however, keeping him blocked in. Grimacing, Bendy shook his head before glaring at both of them angrily

“Alright… Ya know what? I tried ta warn ya…”

Letting go of himself, Bendy began to practically boil as he melted and changed form. Both Tom and Boris stared in awe and horror, realizing what was going on. Before either of them could sound any alarm however, the Ink demon grasped both by their throats so they couldn’t make any noise, squeezing firmly and choking them.

“ _ So, the hounds sniffed me out? How cute… unfortunately, it won’t matter in a second. I’d kill you, but I’m not finished playing my game yet… so for now, this’ll have to do. _ ”

Holding the two as they struggle to breathe, the Ink demon waited for them to pass out before carefully setting them in their respective sleeping places. That way, it wouldn’t look suspicious.

Groaning a little, he moves over to the door just to lean on it and catch his breath; holding the shapeshifted form of Bendy for extended periods of time was agonizing. Fortunately, he’d gotten better at it with time, but it didn’t hurt any less. Soon, he’d be able to complete what he was planning… he just needed to take a moment before turning back into the despicable shrimpy demon form.

  
Once upon a time he may have felt confident and happy looking that way… but now, he loathed it entirely. Absolutely  _ hated _ it. But, he’d have to put up with it just a while longer.. There was one last thing to be done.


	49. The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having finally found what he was looking for, Bendy returns to the group with Edgar to find things have taken a turn for the worse. As the group rushes to find and save Henry, Henry faces Joey once again in a confrontation of morals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none

* * *

Groaning, Henry felt someone prodding him from his sleep; he’d been enjoying a blissfully quiet and dreamless sleep for once, so he was reluctant to wake up. The prodding continued however, forcing the artist to open his eyes and squint in the dark. It was hard to see in the room with the lights off, but Henry could just barely make out the form of Bendy.

“Bendy?... What’s going on? Why’re you waking me up?…”

Bendy gently shakes him, hissing in a whisper

“Henry, get up! I found Edgar, but he needs your help! Wake up!”

Blinking more awake, Henry struggled to sit up a bit

“H-huh? Edgar-?”

“Shh- don’t wake the others up!”

Henry frowns, leaning in and whispering now

“Sorry… what’s going on? Why shouldn’t we tell the others? This is great news!”

“It’s Joey; He has Edgar! He said he’ll kill him if we bring anyone else! ya have to hurry an’ come with me so we can save him!”

Fumbling, Henry struggled even more to get up and off his cot trying not to fall over in his rush

“ _ What?! _ Joey?? Bendy, this sounds like  _ trap _ ”

“Henry,  _ please! _ I-I don’t want him ta die!”

Bendy gives him watery eyes, making Henry sigh

“Alright... I’ll go. I still think It’d be a good idea to at least alert the others though, don’t you?”

Bendy waves a hand, looking urgent

“They’ll only try ta come an’ we don’t have time ta argue why they can’t right now; just hurry!”

“Alright, alright, just give me a second!”

Pulling his shoes on, Henry quickly grabbed some gear before following Bendy out of their safe house. On the way out, he almost could have sworn he saw the ink machine’s gears move… he hoped it was just the dark playing tricks on his vision.

Wherever this was headed, Henry had a strong feeling he was walking straight into a trap.

  * (POV change: Bendy)



Far back in Joey's office by the film vault, Bendy had successfully whistled the tune and gotten into the stash of journals and texts about magic. He tried to go alone, but Edgar had been keeping a watchful eye on him and insisted in accompanying him. The striker had suggested telling the others, but Bendy argued that the less the others knew the less chance Joey would find out where they were going. He just hoped Henry was worrying too much to death about it.

Many hours had passed with the two of them searching for the journal, but to no avail. The search quickly became frustrating, but Bendy wasn’t going to give up; it could mean the difference between life and death for everyone. In the meantime, he and Edgar had explored and studied many of the additional texts while searching; they were… interesting to say the least. Some of them were even borderline disturbing, detailing gruesome rituals that made Bendy feel sick. However, he was still eager to share what they’d learned with Henry and their friends- but the special journal was the priority right now.

Shoving aside another stack of books about the dark arts, Bendy sighs loudly 

“This is gettin’ ridiculous! If you were a tiny special journal, where would ya hide, Ed?”

Edgar makes a face at the nickname, shaking his head.

“Please do not call me that… and I am not sure.”

“Is Eddie better?”

Edgar flusters, shaking his head

“J-just Edgar is fine. Also… if the journal is small as you say it is, it could have been hidden anywhere. Who knows; maybe it even fell into a crack”

Groaning, Bendy drags both hands over his face making it stretch before letting it snap back into place. How long had they been searching? And when was the last time they’d even eaten?? His stomach was growling.

“Man… it feels like we’ve been lookin’ fer ages! At this rate, everyone'll be dead by the time we get back!”

Edgar frowns at that, seeming antsy now 

“Please do not suggest such things! I already worry having been gone so long already…”

Frowning, Bendy turns to him 

“Sorry... I’m just frustrated. Unless we can somehow summon the dang thing, I dunno how long this’ll take”

Suddenly, Edgar falls silent staring at him. Staring back, Bendy raises a brow at him

“...What?”

“...You said you saw this journal in your dream, correct?”

“Yeaaaah?... And?”

“Bendy, if you know what it looks like, then why  _ can’t  _ you summon it?”

Staring again, Bendy slaps both hands to his face again loudly before muffling a yell into them. Moving them away, he waves his arms

“WHY AM I SO STUPID SOMETIMES?? ED, YER COMPLETELY RIGHT!!”

Edgar smiles sympathetically, gently patting him

“It is quite alright, Bendy; just hurry and focus. The sooner we procure the journal, the sooner we can return to the others”

Nodding, Bendy shook himself off a bit before holding out his hands and focusing. Imagining the journal, he started to feel for it with the ink by picturing as if he were holding it in his hand before making a pulling motion. Within moments, the ink bubbled before spitting out the journal on the floor between them. Picking it up quickly, Bendy let out a small laugh of euphoria

“WE GOT IT!! Hurry, Ed, we gotta get back to the others!!”

“Bendy,  _ please,  _ my name Isn’t  _ Ed _ -”

“Ah, lighten up spider butt! We gotta get a move on!”

Giving Bendy an unamused look, Edgar sighs while walking over to him

“Before you go running off, might I suggest teleporting us back with the ink like you did to bring us here? As much as I detest the form of travel, we are in a hurry…”

Blinking, Bendy smiles at him

“Oh yeah! I keep forgettin’ you can touch ink! What’re we waitin’ for then?! Hold on!”

Grabbing onto the striker, Bendy held him close preparing to warp them- but as he pulled Edgar close, Bendy noticed he looked rather flustered. Man… he seemed to get embarrassed real easy; was he not used to physical contact or something? Either way, they didn’t have any more time to waste; he had to focus on getting them back. Holding out his other hand, Bendy forced the ink to spread into a round puddle under their feet before they fell right through it. Gaining momentum as they fell, Bendy closed his eyes; teleporting was more complex than it seemed to the others.

Taking a breath, it felt as if everything slowed down to a pause while his mind searched throughout the studio for their re-entry point. Feeling over the walls, floors, pipes, and more, Bendy could almost see and hear it all- the hiss and clatter of machinery, the dripping and splashing of leaking pipes, the discordant chatter of lost butcher gang clones. He was able to ignore all of it however, instead hunting for their friends; he could hear their familiar heart beats.

Focusing on that sound now, Bendy could hear it more and more clearly in his head. Then, finding and feeling for an appropriate unblocked spot, he started pushing ink to form their exit there. Once opened, the inter-dimensional ink portal suctioned them through like a pipe burrowed through time and space itself. To Edgar, it must have felt like seconds, but to Bendy it always took longer; one wrong warp, and It’d be the end of them.

Flinging out and up through the other end, Bendy lands on his feet with a clack while struggling to hold up Edgar who nearly fell in the process.

“Oi- you alright, Ed?? Uh- I mean, Edgar?”

“Fine; just, a little dizzy…”

Blinking, Bendy realizes the room was dark and the others had been sleeping… but their arrival had startled most of them awake. Almost immediately, Edgar yelps as he’s tackled to the floor by Barley and Charley, the piper yelling loud enough to wake up most everyone else

“EEEEEED!! YOU’RE ALIVE!! WE MISSED YA SO MUCH, BUDDY, WHERE THE HELL HAVE YA BEEN?!”

Bendy covers his ears grimacing while Barley frowns and speaks at a normal volume, thankfully

“We were really worried! We thought something terrible happened to you…”

Flustered, Edgar struggles a bit in their grasp sputtering

“P-Please! Watch my leg! I’m happy to see you guys too… I am sorry my absence caused you to worry, but I was not able to announce my departure for several reasons. Bendy and I found something though that will help us!”

Susie hurried over, hugging all three butcher gang members into her arms then and giving them a squeeze. Bendy had to hold back a laugh as all three of them made pathetic squeaks at her embrace like dog toys. Susie did laugh however, setting them down before gently holding Edgar by his shoulders

“Edgar, where did you run off to?! Do you have ANY idea how long we spent looking for you??”

Bendy frowns, turning to them

“Hey! Whaddabout me, huh?? Didn’tcha guys miss me too??”

Allison raises an eyebrow at him, responding

“We… did? But we found you long before we found Edgar- Henry, Susie, and Boris found you in the vault, remember?”

Staring blankly, Bendy and Edgar both share a look before Bendy looks back to her

“...I was never in the vault? Me an’ Edgar have been in Joey’s office this whole time? We were lookin’ fer a special journal with magic stuff ta stop the Ink demon an’ Joey”

Staring back, Allison slowly raises a pointed finger looking confused

“You- you what? If that wasn’t you in the vault… are you messing with us?? You were here the whole time, but acting really grouchy, and you even clawed Henry in the face at one point- oh… oh no.”

Bendy’s eyes shrank at that as he slaps his hands to his head

“WHAT?! I’D NEVER HURT HENRY- Oh. Oh no is  _ right. _ ”

Alice angel moves over to him now, looking quite upset

“If that wasn’t you?…”

Sammy calls out then, pulling their attention away

“Guys?? Boris and Tom aren’t waking up! Me and Norman were trying, but they’re not waking up!”

Allison gasps and runs over to Tom, kneeling beside him as Bendy and Alice both hurry over to Boris, Alice checking him for a pulse. Bendy gives an antsy dance looking to her

“Is he okay??”

“He’s alive and breathing, so I think so; but I don’t understand? What happened??”

Grimacing, Bendy turns to the rest of them

“I think I know... That wasn’t me that ya guys had in here, that was the Ink demon! Don’tcha remember what Tom said?? He’s able ta shapeshift an’ look like me!”

Alice gasps at that, the others looking taken aback. Sammy speaks again, delivering yet more bad news

“Guys… Henry’s gone.”

Bendy turns looking to Henry’s empty cot, flailing his arms now

“Then what’re we waitin’ for?! We gotta go save him!! The Stink demon probably kidnapped him! Aw, hell- I shoulda never trusted that jerk!!”

Susie cuts in then, eyeing him

“What do you mean trust?”

“It’s complicated, lady!! I’ll explain after we save Henry!”

“Uh-uh, if you had something to do with this, we’re discussing it now!”

Sighing, Bendy rubs the back of his head looking a bit guilty

“Okay, I didn’t directly have somethin’ ta do with this! But… well, the Ink demon talked ta me in a dream (at least I think it was a dream), an’ he told me to get this special journal ta separate ‘im from Joey an’ stuff- I think he was luring me away so he could get Henry though!”

Susie and the others stare at him blankly, making Bendy sigh

“Look; even I fall fer stuff sometimes, okay?? I ain’t always the sharpest claw on the hand!! ‘Sides, he wasn’t lyin’- it was just  _ also  _ a ruse ta trick me at the same time! But that doesn’t matter, ‘cause we’re gonna go get Henry back, kick Joey’s butt, an’ save the day!!”

Standing all heroic and determined, Bendy’s stomach suddenly growls making the room go quiet again. Closing his eyes with a grimace, Bendy felt embarrassed

“Okay… after I eat like, at least  _ one  _ can of soup.”

Allison finally rouses Tom from being unconscious, the wolf giving an angry growl as he looks to Bendy

“DON’T TRUST HIM; HE’S AN IMPOSTER!”

Holding up his hands, Bendy waves them frantically   
  


“WOAH WOAH WOAH, WAIT-”

Tom scrambles up trying to attack him with an axe, making the little demon roll out of the way- quite literally. Allison runs over before he can strike again, blocking his fury

“Tom, stop! That’s not the Ink demon, that’s the real Bendy this time!”

“How can I believe that, huh?!”

Bendy holds up his hands spouting

“‘Cause I Have Edgar who was with me the whole time!! Also the real Ink demon took Henry an’ left, so we gotta get him back!”

Tom pauses then, looking over to see Edgar meekly wave at him, his attention slowly drifting back to Bendy with a sigh through his nose

“...Fine. I’ll believe you, for now. But how are we going to find Henry? They could’ve gone anywhere, and we couldn’t even find  _ you  _ this whole time.”

Bendy gets a determined look again, clenching his hands into fists

“When me an’ Ed were studyin’ Joey’s magic books, I learned somethin’ important! It’ll have to wait fer explanation later, but long story short, me an’ Henry are connected! I know where ta find him ‘cause I can see through his eyes!”

Tom shakes his head, still looking rather irritated

“All this magic crap… why can’t our lives be normal and full of technical problems I’d actually understand?”

Nearby, Boris was finally woken up by Alice who hugs him tightly as the wolf comes to consciousness. Boris looked rather baffled and confused, then flustered by Alice hugging him; Bendy had to try hard not to feel a little jealous. Tom growls from his speaker again then,

“If ya know where to find him, then what’re we waiting for? Let’s go kick Joey’s ass and stop the Ink demon”

Bendy holds up a hand then, pointing one finger

“Just one thing first…”

Scurrying over to the table with soup cans stacked on it, Bendy grabs two before running over to Edgar handing him one. Tom snorts, eyeing the little demon

“Really?? Do we even have time for that?-”

“What! We’re starvin’, cut us a break!”

Tom rolls his eyes as Allison gently hugs him, the grumpy wolf rubbing his throat with a sniff

“Damned demon choked us unconscious… I thought something was off about that imposter. Boris knew long before I did, though…”

Boris whines, looking to Bendy ang signing

‘I knew it wasn’t you; he was outright mean to me!’

Bendy frowns at that

“Sorry, buddy… he’s a real pain, I know; you’re okay though, right?”

Boris sighs a little, shrugging and signing again

‘I think so, my neck just hurts a little’

Alice angel frowns, hugging him tighter

“Aw, you poor thing…”

Bendy rolls his eyes, letting Alice coddle Boris so he can turn back to his soup can

“I’m sure you’ll be fine… Now then;”

Extending one claw, Bendy quickly opens his can before downing it just as quick. Wiping his mouth off, he sighs in contentment

“Learned that trick recently ‘cause I got sick a’ not bein’ able ta open these dang things. Need help, Ed?”

Edgar shakes his head before puncturing his own can with one of his fangs, doing the same.

“Oh… that works too. Right; everyone, gear up then! We gotta save an old man!” 

  * (POV change: Henry)



Following ‘Bendy’ quickly down several more paths, Henry had been running after him for a few minutes. Speaking at normal volume now that they had left the sleeping group far behind, he questioned his companion;

“How far do we have to go?”

“Not much further, just keep followin’ me!”

“How did he even get Edgar?? Do you think the Ink demon kidnapped him?”

“Somethin’ like that, just hurry!”

“I’m hurrying as fast as my half asleep legs will take me! I know you’re worried, but I can’t move any faster-”

Tsking, Bendy stopped making Henry do the same. With a wave of his hand, the demon summoned a small wave of ink flooding towards them to carry them away. Flailing to get his balance, Henry yells;

“I-IS THIS REALLY NECESSARY?!”

Bendy ignores him, seeming rather focused. Henry realizes they were heading right for what looked like... a cliff

“B-BENDY?? BENDY, WHAT’RE YOU DOING-”

“Hold on!”

Henry tried to protest again only for the ink to rush up and surround him like a cocoon. Struggling, Henry gave a muffled yell as he felt them wash over the side of the cliff with the ink. Feeling like his stomach was floating away, Henry wished it would stop when they were suddenly moving horizontally again, but he couldn’t see where they were going anymore.

After a few moments of struggling, Henry finds himself getting tossed forward out of the ink, freeing him of it entirely. The momentum made him stumble and fall forward onto his hands and knees before quickly looking around, realizing he was in a place he recognized… he was in the throne room of the ink machine. Struggling to his feet, he turned to see Bendy blocking the doorway.

“B-Bendy, what’s going on?? Why did you bring me here- where’s Edgar?”

A voice that certainly  _ wasn’t _ Bendy’s speaks behind him then; it belonged to someone Henry  _ really _ didn’t want to see right now.

“Henry, Henry, Henry… always so trusting! Don’t you ever get tired of being  _ deceived _ , old friend?...”

Turning, Henry stared at the throne as sitting on it was a rather smug looking Joey Drew, his eyes so brightly blue in the world of sepia that they looked like they were glowing. In fact… they  _ were _ glowing. Glaring, Henry draws the axe from his belt preparing to strike when it was suddenly pulled from his hands by ink that had come from behind. Turning in surprise, Henry flinches upon seeing the Ink demon now standing and blocking the doorway.

“W-wait… this whole time- you?...”

“ _ Finally realizing now?... Yes. I was pretending to be Bendy to gain your trust… and it worked perfectly. _ ”

“B-But my coffin… the crying, the remorse-”

“ _ All acting. I’ve watched enough films to pick up a few cues, Henry… it seems you haven’t learned anything, however. _ ”

Feeling incredibly taken aback, Henry could only stare; he had brought the Ink demon right to the others. He  _ held _ and  _ comforted _ the Ink demon, thinking he was Bendy. At the very least, it explained the aggression, lack of interest in everyone, and assault... in fact, Henry was very relieved to learn it wasn’t actually Bendy who had hurt him. Strangely enough though, it still saddened him. 

From behind, Joey sighs making Henry turn to him

“So, you broke into that old vault and found your coffin? Tsk tsk, Henry… wandering is-”

“A terrible sin,  _ I get it. _ Please, stop saying that.”

Joey raises an eyebrow before chuckling at him

“Interrupting is rather rude, you know… but I’ll let it slide this time. You know, I was wondering where some of my keys went; was that your doing? It made getting into some of my cabinets rather annoying…”

Henry glares at him, not answering. Joey simply sighs, frowning

“I’m sorry you had to find out the truth like that. You weren’t supposed to see…”

“See what, that you  _ murdered _ me?! You murdered  _ everyone  _ here! You’re not  _ sorry _ about  _ anything! _ ”

Joey sneers at him, folding his hands together

“You’re certainly making me feel less sorry for  _ you _ . I didn’t murder you- I granted you  _ immortality! _ You can’t  _ die _ ! Sure, I had to remove you from an old aged and rotting body a bit violently, but is that not worth leaving behind the futility of a mortal death?? To escape the pain and suffering of flesh?”

Eyeing Joey, Henry slowly realizes something nearby… a wheelchair. Looking back to Joey, Henry continues to glare

“If your immortality trick was supposed to make us better, then how come it didn’t fix  _ that _ ?”

Looking irritated, Joey leans forward on the throne

“Because it’s unrelated! My inability to walk is nothing you need worry about; there are reasons for it you don’t need to know. Right now, you  _ should  _ be worried about what I plan to do with you… why don’t we discuss some details about your  _ fate? _ ”

“If you think I’m going to stand here and make any kind of deal with you, you’re wrong! I’d rather make a contract with the devil!”

Joey sighs, rubbing his chin

“Funny you say that, really; but ah, you wouldn’t understand... It’s no surprise you’re being difficult, really. Bendy?”

Behind him, Henry hears a menacing growl that makes his skin crawl. Slowly turning, he comes face to face with the twitching grin of the Ink demon. Joey smirks at them as he continues;

“Would you  _ kindly  _ persuade Henry to talk?”

Grin twitching wider, the Ink demon sneers 

“ _ I have a better idea… why don’t I KILL HIM INSTEAD? _ ”

Flinching, Henry holds up his arms in defense as the Ink demon lunges with extended claws and full intent to kill- However, a few moments passed with no pain or contact confusing him. Lowering his arms, Henry frowns staring wide eyed at the Ink demon who was frozen in place. Twitching as if trying to move, the Ink demon’s clawed hands were inches away from him.

Backing away, Henry turns to see Joey’s chest glowing as he was glaring at the Ink demon. What was going  _ on _ ??

“So poorly behaved! I swear, you summon a demon and they become a bratty child who won’t even listen to you! So ungrateful… I saved you from the depths of misery, and this is how you repay me? Don’t make me  _ force _ you, Bendy; I won’t ask again.”

Henry shouts then, surprising both of them

“STOP! Let him go! If you want to talk, fine! Just... stop doing whatever you’re  _ doing  _ to him!”

Joey leans back in the throne, rubbing his chin again- but this time with amusement

“Oh?  _ Now  _ you’ll talk? Funny; he was one second from taking your life, yet you still show pity… You do realize if I release him, he’ll simply tear you apart, right?”

Looking to the still frozen Ink demon, Henry frowns more before turning back to Joey and steeling his nerves.

“It’s not pity. It’s empathy. Being controlled… being  _ used _ \- I know what it feels like, especially from  _ you _ . I don’t care if he wants to hurt me; Let. him. go.”

Joey’s expression quickly lost any amusement, becoming cold

“I never  _ controlled  _ you Henry, I  _ guided _ you! I guided this company! If I controlled you, do you think any of this would be happening? I paved the way for my employees to become more than they were- to reach for their dreams! You just simply didn’t agree with how!” 

“Is that the lie you’ve been telling yourself? That you’re some kind of benevolent leader, shepherding everyone towards happiness? You’re a narrow minded tyrant who only cared about his own dreams and desires, using everyone to get them! If you cared about what was right, you’d have given them a choice- given  _ me _ a choice!”

“I did what was right for this company, and I did what was right for YOU! While you fled when you couldn’t handle the pressure, bursting like one of these crummy pipes, I held fast and didn’t give up on this company, its employees, or its future! Is it my fault that it all fell apart because you were ungrateful and left me with a burden I couldn’t bear alone?!”

Clenching his fists, Henry almost shouts at him

“It was a burden and pathetic loneliness you brought on YOURSELF by being a cold hearted, self-centered, obsessive MONSTER!”

Eyes widening for a moment, Joey’s expression became almost wild as he shouted back

“All I ever wanted was to make our dreams come true with YOU, and you ABANDONED ME!”

Having forced himself to stand in his anger, Joey gritted his teeth before shakily slumping back into the throne with a heavy exhale. Taking a moment to calm himself, he gave Henry a venomous glare

“That’s besides the point... Right now, I want to discuss your little charade of false  _ heroism  _ and putting an  _ end _ to it before you destroy everything- including  _ yourself _ .”

Henry frowns, shaking his head

“I’m not giving up, and you can’t stop me or the others. We have hope, and we have each other; we’re going to put an end to your control, and your story- whether you like it or not”

“You’re going to collapse this whole damn place is what you’re going to do! You have no idea what you’re even trifling with in the slightest!”

Furrowing his brow, Henry takes a step forward

“Then I’ll let it fall! Maybe I don’t know what’s going on with this place and all this- ‘magic’, but I know we need to leave it behind. It won’t matter in the end if it collapses-”

Behind him, Henry hears the Ink demon growl; he’d briefly forgotten he was still frozen. Turning to him, Henry frowns more. Joey sneers behind him, the expression obvious in his tone

“What’s the matter?... your heart getting in the way of your tongue again?”

Sighing, Henry took a step towards the Ink demon who still seemed full of lethal anger, even if his mouth was grinning. However, Henry wasn’t bothered; reaching out a hand, he gently placed it between the demon’s horns on his head. Under his touch, the tense hatred seemed to pause before calming somewhat… at least, that’s what he hoped it was. He speaks to Joey while still facing the demon;

“You keep saying you did what you had to… that you had to do this to the studio, that you did everything for everyone’s own good. Didn’t you take  _ one _ moment to stop and think, that  _ maybe _ , just maybe, what you  _ thought  _ was the right thing  _ wasn’t _ ? Did you ever actually consider you could be wrong, or that we  _ didn’t  _ want this?...”

Joey was silent behind him now, so Henry continued, now petting the Ink demon on his head; whether he’d hate him more for it, he wasn’t sure, but he figured it couldn’t hurt. Though, the demon  _ was  _ frozen… he wasn’t sure what would happen when he unfroze.

“You keep saying I’m the reason for this… but you know that’s not true. You didn’t do any of this because of me; you did it because of you. You’re scared of being the only one to shoulder the blame of the horrible things that happened, so you’re pinning it on me. You hired all these people to use as pawns for your game, to torment and experiment on only to say you wouldn’t have done if it I had stayed. You used magic to try and make Bendy real only to have it backfire, then claimed if I had stayed it would’ve worked. You’ve always blamed everything on the epitome of when things began to fall apart- when you lost me.” 

Inhaling deeply, Henry sighs softly

“Then… you decided to immortalize everything in a world where you were actually in control, because you couldn’t take the feeling of being powerless anymore.”

The Ink demon quietly growls under Henry’s hand, but he had stopped twitching for once

“...It’s funny, in a way- even though you made a world where I’m supposed to pay for my ‘sins’, to feel like the evil one who is to blame for all of this, you still ended up being the bad guy anyways. That’s just how life works, Joey; you can’t pretend away your mistakes or push them onto someone else... you can only face them, admit you were the one wrong, and move on.”

Joey huffs a humorless laugh, raising an eyebrow at him

“You’re full of nonsense! Though, there  _ is _ one thing you’re right about… I did make a world i’m in control of. In fact, I’m even in control of  _ you, _ thanks to soul magic!”

Henry blinks at that, looking back to Joey thinking about what the Ink demon had said while disguised as Bendy about the souls. Though he would have liked to continue facing Joey with his mistakes, there were other things just as important needing to be addressed while he could keep Joey listening...

“Joey… you have to stop this. You can’t keep doing this. Using everyone’s souls, forcing everyone to play out your fantasy- it won’t make it any better! I _know_ it’s hard to let go; I _know_ it hurts that you didn’t get to live the dreams you always held, or erase your mistakes! But it doesn’t have to end like this. The thing about hope is it’s not stagnant- it changes. If a goal becomes unreachable, you can easily give up… or, you can change that goal to something realistic. If you had just let go of the impossible in bringing back the studio and what used to be, maybe you’d have found your hope again… maybe you could’ve had something _else_ you’ve always wanted. Friendship. Family. Maybe even _love,_ but in someone else...”

Glancing to the Ink demon, Henry feels his heart ache

“You weren’t always this way… neither of you. You once had this wonderful, glowing, positive future full of dreams. You had your whole lives to live out those dreams and do what it would take to reach them. But… when those dreams became unreachable, instead of accepting it… you denied it. You became obsessed, refusing to let go; you made it your own hell, and downfall. And now…”

Turning his attention back to Joey, Henry stands firm with an expression of deep sorrow 

“...you’ve become corrupted and lost. But it Isn’t too late; it doesn’t have to be! If you just let yourself realize the truth, you can still save yourself! Please... you don’t have to do this anymore...”

Joey stared quietly at Henry for a long moment before a smile spread over his face; Henry didn’t quite like that reaction to his heartfelt words. Joey then let out a curt and cold laughter, sneering down on Henry

“That was quite the charming speech, Henry… you always were great at coming up with such moving, emotionally charged words; unfortunately, it doesn’t work on me! Why, pray tell, should I even  _ bother  _ to listen to you anyways? You’re so bent on playing the hero role I gave you, you don’t have any clue what you’re dealing with! Do you even understand anything about power? About taking a hold of your destiny and molding it to what you want it to be?! Why change myself when I have the power to change everything  _ else _ ?!”

Watching Joey’s eyes gleam, Henry grimaced; they were getting brighter, as was a light from a pocket on the front of his vest. The strange item holding all of the soul pieces was likely in it, and making Joey react as his eyes continued to burn brighter along with the veins around them in an unnerving way. 

Behind Henry, the Ink demon started to groan as if he were in pain; that’s when he suddenly felt a sharp pain too. A calamitous well of voices flooding over him so intensely, it made him have to clasp his hands over his ears- but it hardly provided any respite.

“J-Joey, they’re going to drive you mad! It’s too many voices; It’s too much power for one person to handle!”

Raising his arms, Joey laughs again

“No; It’s too much for  _ you _ and that pitiful demon, but I was always able to withstand it! You stumbled and collapsed under the pressures of work, success, and hardships- but I boldly stood and forced my way through! You were never able to handle it, but  _ /I/ _ … I was always capable! I was always superior!”

Henry closes his eyes tightly, the well of screaming voices making him want to do the same. Shaking his head, he shouts;

“Joey, _please!_ _Make it stop!_ ”

“Aw, is it too much for you? What’s your true intent, Stein? Are you  _ worried _ for me, or just want to stop me?! You of all people should know I’m no coward! That I will  _ never _ give up, and I will  _ never _ quit!”

“ _ Please _ ! you don’t have to keep doing this! If you just  _ listen  _ to me, we can  _ fix this _ !”

Sneering, Joey leans forward gripping the arm rests of the throne

“There is NOTHING to fix! I wanted a powerful empire to rule over, and now I have so much more! I have power! I have power beyond anything I ever dreamed of! In this realm, I have the status of a GOD! And  _ nothing _ you say or do will  _ ever _ convince me to give that up!”

From behind him and the Ink demon, Henry suddenly hears somebody else shout so loudly he could hear it over the screaming souls;

“HEY LIVER-SPOTS! IF YER GOD, THEN CONSIDER ME THE ANTICHRIST!”

Almost immediately, the din of voices quieted down as Joey’s eyes returned to ‘normal’, if it could be considered that. 

Relieved, Henry turned only to see the Ink demon collapse to the floor having been finally freed of Joey’s grasp. Behind the Ink demon, Bendy- the  _ real _ Bendy- stood defiantly with everyone around him. Seeing them all having come to his rescue made Henry feel rather emotional… his friends all wanted to save him. One thing was making him curious however; how had they found him?

Regardless, Henry hurried over to them before quickly scooping up Bendy into his arms, nearly crying with joy

“Bendy!! You came to save me!”

Hugging Henry back tightly, Bendy beams at him

“Of course I did! I’m sorry it took so long, but we’re here now!”

Henry closes his eyes, hugging him tighter before looking back to Joey who now looked furious. Around Henry, everyone raised various weapons with many angry looks of determination, eager to apprehend their tormentor. Bendy glares as well, speaking again

“Yer time of tyranny is over, Drew! We’re puttin’ a stop to it! I know all yer dirty magic secrets now, an’ ya can’t get away with it anymore!”

Holding up the journal he’d found, Bendy smirks as Joey’s expression falls. Glaring back now, Joey sneers

“You’re deluded if you think you have the slightest capability of performing the magic within that journal!”

“Oh yeah? What if I have Henry help me, huh?”

Looking taken aback once more, Joey’s expression quickly rehardens as he looks to the Ink demon who was now struggling to his feet. Raising one hand, Joey forced the demon over to himself against his will. Growling loudly, the Ink demon extended one arm to pull over the wheelchair before Joey looks directly into Henry’s eyes

“This isn’t over, Stein. The next time we meet  _ will  _ be the  _ final _ time we meet. Nothing can prepare you for  _ that _ .”

“Wait- are you seriously running away?! What happened to never giving up?”

Bendy snorts, adding on

“Yeah, an’ bein’ an all powerful god of your ~own world~!”

Joey gives them a look of unamusement, the Ink demon next to him surprisingly looking the opposite; Henry figured he was enjoying them mocking Joey, who continued to speak;

“I could easily make you regret ever trying to apprehend me like this in an instant, but everything is too unstable because of you! I’d rather not bring an entire dimension down on us in a petty fight. Right now, I have to fix  _ your _ mess before we can finish our business; enjoy your small extra bit of time… it won’t  _ last _ .”

Joey snapped his fingers then, making the Ink demon teleport them away while glaring them down. Frowning, Henry takes a step forward still holding Bendy; he was rather disappointed that it had ended so suddenly.

“He ran away…”

Bendy snickers, giving Henry another hug making the artist look to him

“Of course he did! He’s a coward, scared ‘cause we finally have a tangible way of beatin’ him at his own game!”

“We do??”

“Yeah, we do!! I’ll explain everythin’, but first, we’re gonna need another new hideout for a bit… we got some trainin’ ta do for a fight!”

Henry furrows his brow feeling incredibly confused, but he was really glad to have Bendy back. He was also happy to see everyone else, including Edgar too; he must’ve been with the real Bendy this whole time. Speaking of…

“Hey, Bendy?”

“Huh? Yeah?”

“You happen to notice anything when hanging out with Edgar lately?...”

Staring blankly, the little demon looked just as clueless as the Ink demon did. The similarity was so perfect it made Henry snort before bursting out laughing. Bendy simply stared at him with further confusion, not understanding; behind them, the others were also rather amused. Minus Edgar, of course, who looked almost mortified. Sighing, Henry shakes his head

“Don’t- Don’t worry about it… I’m just making a bad joke.”

Bendy continued to look confused, only adding to the humor of the moment; Henry wondered if the little demon would ever catch on. Regardless however, they now had a new problem… once again, they were without a place to hide. How many times they’d be found, he wasn’t sure- but it was starting to feel a lot like escape was always brief no matter where they went.

And frankly, Henry was starting to wonder if they’d soon run out of places to hide at all.


	50. Home Sweet Clone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having been ousted from their hiding place once again, Henry and the others have to make their way to a new one- one that has curious inhabitants. Though their arrival is shaky, the knowledge revealed by Bendy is even more so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none
> 
> Notes: One drawing for chapter 51 this time! Still keeping on schedule, let's see if I can't finish posting this fic by the end of summer :D again, feel free to check out my twitter @RobBBlunder!

* * *

Turning to the group, Henry could see various levels of disappointment that they didn’t get to fight Joey. Henry himself was rather irritated as it meant there would be yet another delay in ending this once and for all, but Bendy was right about one thing- they needed to be better prepared. If Joey was going to be making sure the next time they meet would be the last, he’d be planning something dangerous that they’d have to be ready for. It didn’t stop Norman putting in a few last words about the situation, however;

“Man… and here we were all ready to kick an old man’s ass, and for once, it woulda been a good thing.”

Henry sighs, looking to Bendy instead as he spoke

“I appreciate you all being ready to attack Joey for me, but we need to have a better plan than running in guns blazing. You said we had something to practice, right?”

“Yeah! A whole set of new things to practice- magic things!! But like I said, we’re gonna need a spot ta do it where Joey won’t find us…”

Henry frowns, now turning his attention to the others

“You guys wouldn’t happen to know somewhere, would you?... We can’t go back to the upper levels because we’d be found too fast. We also can’t go back to the lost ones, because I don’t want to put them in danger’s way again… additionally, I’d like to avoid any  _ other  _ possible ink machines if we can help it.”

Everyone gave him a bunch of shrugs and unsure looks before a quiet voice speaks up

“I know a place…”

Henry raises an eyebrow, looking for who spoke before the others stepped aside for Barley. Moving closer, Henry sets Bendy down so he can crouch and hear Barley better

“You said you have somewhere we can go?”

“Yes, but I don’t think you’ll like it… at the least though, the Ink demon’s never been there.”

“Honestly, I don’t think I like  _ any _ part of this studio; if the Ink demon has never been there, it should be perfect; where is it?”

“Well… It’s back around the upper levels connected to the amusement park. There’s-”

Barley pauses then, frowning and looking a bit antsy

“Actually, maybe I should just show you. I don’t want  _ them  _ overhearing and following us…”

Henry frowns as well, but nods

“That’s probably a good idea… but can you tell me why you think we wouldn’t like it?”

Both Charley and Edgar gave questioning looks until their faces changed to realization, then anxiousness. Stepping closer to Barley, Edgar holds out his hands

“Barley, I-I’m not sure bringing them there is a good idea! They may not be welcome…”

Charley butts in then, surprisingly not shouting for once

“It might starta frenzy if we bring ‘em in there! Ya know they don’t like outsiders..”

Henry only felt more curious, as did Bendy as he cuts in eagerly;

“Who?? Who! What’re ya talkin’ about, I wanna know!”

Edgar sighs, giving Bendy a fretful look

“Unfortunately, as Barley said, we shouldn’t discuss too much when others might be listening… the Ink demon inevitably finds us every time, so I am under the impression he is always aware of our conversations. Do you have any clue as to how?...”

Blinking, Bendy rubs his chin in thought before snapping his fingers

“Oh yeah; I do know, actually! Oh boy, I shoulda told ya guys sooner... but ta be fair, I didn’t know myself or get the chance ‘til now! The Ink demon and me are kinda connected to everything in a way. We can both see, hear, and find anythin’ through the pipes an’ ink; anywhere that doesn’t have bits of the machine, ink, or pipes are blind spots though. That’s why it was hard to navigate ‘round the vault with Henry’s… uh, ya know what I mean; there wasn’t any a’ that nearby.”

Sammy clasps his hands to his face then, groaning

“ _ That’s _ why I always feel like I’m being watched! It’s because I  _ am!  _ How’re we supposed to do anything without being followed?!”

Allison sighs, putting a hand on one hip

“Well, from what it sounds like, we need a place that doesn’t have ink, pipes, or something that leads to the machine. Barley, is the spot you’re thinking off free of that?”

Barley shakes his head, looking up at her

“No, it’s actually the opposite; there’s nothing but pipes, ink, and machine where we’d be going. But, the Ink demon never goes in or listens for uh… another reason.”

Allison looks confused, but Susie slowly seems to understand, frowning

“Oh!- Oh. Oh, no… Barley, I think the other two might be right; if we go in there, they might just tear us apart.”

Henry was dying of curiosity now, but he keeps his patience listening to them interact. Barley sighs, looking to Susie now

“I know it’s a risk, but there’s really no other options for us right now. Besides… if we can convince them to be on our side, it could be a major advantage…”

Edgar grimaces a bit, seeming unsure

“I’m not sure they can even reason properly… but, supposedly,  _ maybe _ they will listen?... at least a little out of curiosity…”

Bendy huffs, stamping one foot with impatience

“Ya know what, I don’t care; Let’s go!! We gotta get outta here sooner than later, right? ‘Cause I don’t think standin’ ‘round in the ink machine is a good idea. So, Barley, why dontcha whisper the spot ta me so I can take us there??”

Barley looks up to Susie unsure, but she sighs looking to Henry instead

“Well, Henry, what do you think? Let’s just say the place is full of people who aren’t going to be ecstatic to see us… a  _ lot _ of them. On the bright side, they kind of worship me so maybe they’ll listen to me… on the downside? They  _ hate _ Bendy. A lot.”

Henry frowns at that, looking to Bendy who pouts

“What do they have against me?!”

“Oh, you’ll see…”

“Aw, man, why can’t anyone just tell me!!”

Henry sighs, shaking his head while turning to the rest

“I think it’s at least an option. What do you guys think? Should we at least give it a try?”

Norman shrugs, looking to Sammy

“Not sure things could get much worse…”

Sammy gently rubs his temples, furrowing his brow with his eyes closed

“As long as it keeps the Ink demon away, I say it’s worth trying…”

Tom shrugs, looking to Allison who simply nods; Boris and Alice angel both smile to Henry which he figures meant they were alright with it too. Henry looks back down to Barley and Bendy then

“Alright… seems we’ll take the chance.”

Barley nods slightly, trying not to dislodge his head from its pole before leaning over to Bendy and whispering. Bendy’s eyes widen, his face twisting into uncertainty

“Oh… uhhh, I guess that  _ does _ make sense. Well.. here goes anyways!”

Henry pauses, holding out one hand then

“Wait- I just remembered-”

“Everyone huddle up!”

“Bendy-”

“We’re gonna warp right on over!-

“BENDY!”

“WHAT??”

“We can’t!”

Bendy stares in confusion before Henry facepalms and explains

“Don’t you remember the  _ last _ time you took us all through the ink?? Not everyone can handle touching it”

Frowning, Bendy slaps a hand to his face

“Aw, crap; yer right! I forgot…”

Henry turns to the hallway leading out of the ink machine’s throne room 

“We’re going to have to take the long way… I hope you guys are ready to walk.”

Bendy kicks at the floor a bit, muttering

“Always gotta be  _ somethin’ _ makin’ our lives harder…”

Henry rolls his eyes, holding out his arms

“Want me to carry you?”

Bendy immediately hops into them, making Henry stumble backwards; thankfully, he’s caught by Norman who pushes him back to his feet. Henry looks to the demon in his arms now

“Oof.. Bendy, you  _ really _ need to stop doing that”

“Sorry! Not my fault yer gettin’ old~”

Looking unamused, Henry shakes his head with a sigh before turning back to the group

“Anyone else?”

Susie grins 

“Are you offering to carry others? Because I’d  _ love _ to see you try and carry Sammy”

Sammy blinks, looking over then

“What?? Why me?”

“Because he’d probably drop you on your head”

“Oh,  _ real _ funny...”

Henry drags a hand down his face, but he was smiling a little

“I  _ meant _ does anyone else need something before we go? I’m not carrying a full sized person.”

Bendy leans forward, pointing to Edgar

“Carry him too!!”

Edgar pauses, a comical duck quack coming from him as his expression blanks

“...pardon me?”

Henry simply steps over and scoops Edgar into his other arm, the striker flailing a bit while protesting

“nO REALLY THAT IS QUITE ALRIGHT- YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO THAT,”

Bendy laughs, kicking his legs while Henry responds

“Your leg is still hurt; it’s fine. I’m strong enough for the two of you.”

Edgar looked unsure, but Henry holds the two of them close in his arms which seems to silence his protesting. On the floor, Charley flexes at them grinning

“Wow, good on you Henry! Still fit in your old age!”

Unamused once again, Henry sighs heavily through his nose, able to catch the looks of amusement on the other’s faces.

“...thanks. We should probably go now, though; the sooner we’re away from the machine, the better”

Bendy looks upward curiously for a moment, making Henry pause; it looked like he was searching for something.

“Something wrong?...”

“Hmm… no. Just thinkin’. We can go”

Henry was now the curious one; what had the demon been looking for? Regardless, ambient rumbling started making the floor rock around mildly, which was more than enough of a reason for them all to head out.

“Alright, yeah, time to go; the last thing we need is to be inside the machine with another one of these quakes.”

Quickly, the others followed after him likely sharing the sentiment.

-

Having made their way quite some distance on foot, Henry was starting to feel rather tired; he wasn’t sure how much further they had to go either since Barley was keeping it secret for the time. However, he seemed to be getting more antsy, so Henry figured they couldn’t be too much further now.

Walking the group up to a maintenance tunnel area in the amusement park storage, Barley stopped and turned to them frowning

“Alright… It’s not going to be much further through here. I need to warn you first about a few things, though; please listen carefully, because these rules are important in keeping you alive...”

Waiting to see if everyone was listening, Barley nods before explaining;

“First and foremost, do  _ not _ show fear. If you show any fear, they’ll take advantage of that and attack. Secondly, don’t say or do anything that might offend them; if you set off even one, It’ll create a frenzy in seconds, and there are way too many for you to fight off. Third, don’t get separated; if they catch you alone, nothing good’ll come from it. Finally, just try and be careful and watch your step... there’s a lot of ink, machinery, and weapons around. Do you guys understand?”

Slowly, everyone in the group nodded besides Edgar and Charley who seemed to already know these things. Barley nods back to them, turning to the door once more

“Alright… then I suppose here goes nothing. Remember, don’t get lost…”

Knocking some kind of pattern on the door, Barley stood and waited for a moment before the door started to screech open on its own; somebody had flipped the switch for it on the other side. Gesturing for them to follow, Barley lead the way into what looked like a metal walkway connected to a rock carved tunnel. The group heeded his previous warning and stuck close, Henry especially keeping a firm grip on Bendy (and by extension Edgar), not wanting to lose them. 

The further they went, the more mechanical parts and machinery Henry could hear and see all around them. It was so noisy he almost didn’t catch the sound of what waited for them ahead until they passed another doorway into a long hall leading to a large set of doors at its end. The closer they got to the massive metal doors, the louder a recognizable din of noise could be heard from behind them. Frowning, Henry now realized what Barley had meant this whole time about the Ink demon not coming here for certain reasons.

Barley paused in front of the massive doors prompting the others to do the same, the doors slowly grinding open after a moment. On the other side, Henry was amazed at the sight before them; it was impressive for what it was.

The doorway had opened up to an extensively wide and deep room that was almost purely metal and machine. Walkways, conveyor belts, ramps, machinery, and pipes were everywhere as far as one could see in the factory sized room. In fact, that might as well be what it was; an ink cloning factory. Everywhere, covering almost every surface, were masses of butcher gang clones, each slightly unique in some way with many far more corrupt looking than others. The room Barley had lead them to was where all the butcher gang clones from the machine were spewed out.

Barley turns and looks up at their own group, frowning 

“See what I mean?... just- try to be careful...”

Henry takes a step forward, feeling awestruck; he was met with hundreds of curious, rather creepy eyes in return. Frowning a little, he glances to Barley 

“They won’t attack us, right?”

“Er… I hope not. As long as you don’t instigate a fight, they hopefully won’t…”

Edgar sighs in Henry’s arms, looking at the other clones

“If anything, they at least seem curious of you right now.”

Henry felt a little hopeful about that, until a striker eyed Bendy and let out a terrible hissing screech while pointing at him. As if an alarm had went off, a ripple effect of its call passed over all the other clones who become hostile and growling while facing them. Bendy grimaced, looking up at Henry who was also grimacing

“Uh, I’m guessing that’s bad?...”

Edgar, too, was grimacing

“Yes. That is bad.”

Before the clones come surging in for attack however, Susie quickly steps in front of Henry

“STOP! All of you get back!”

Barley covers his face, groaning and unable to watch; however, the clones seemed somewhat captivated by Susie, pausing to look at her now. Holding out her arms, she makes a slight shooing motion

“We’re not here to bother or hurt you, so don’t bother us; got it? We won’t be here permanently, we just need to hide out for a while.”

The clones start squabbling amongst themselves, their strange muttering language incomprehensible to Henry. They seemed unsure, but Alice angel steps in; then, all of their faces practically light up in awe as a wave of noises Henry  _ did _ understand erupts from them.

“oooOOOOOooooohhhhh!”

Alice blinks before getting a bit amused at that

“Uhm… h-hello! Is it alright if we share your space for a while? My friends and I have nowhere else to go because of the Ink demon, and It’d be really helpful if you’d let us stay…”

Several many of them hiss at the mention of the Ink demon, but they started to excitedly squabble and hop up and down around her. Susie sighs, grinning at that

“See Henry? They worship angels, thanks to the way that demon treats them…”

Allison makes a face behind them

“Does this mean they’re going to worship me too?”

Susie gets a smug look, crossing her arms

“Yup. Better get used to being followed by an army all over the place… though, there  _ are _ some perks to it…”

Henry watches as many of the clones start trying to offer things to Alice angel, who repeatedly has to decline, but she at least was smiling while doing so. Boris huffs from the back of the group, pushing his way over to her eyeing the clones who seemed wary of him in return. Bendy snorts in Henry’s arms, slumping and pouting

“So not fair…  _ /I/ _ wanna be worshipped an’ pampered…”

Sammy speaks up, sounding rather unamused

“You were before already, I think you’ve had quite enough.”

Bendy smirks a bit back

“Yeah, maybe from you”

Sammy blinks at that, looking taken aback

“Excuse me?? What’s that supposed to mean?”

Bendy chuckles, shrugging in Henry’s arms before closing his eyes and lounging in them almost

“Oh, nothin’; don’t worry about it~”

Sammy looked ready to share a few choice words, but Norman plapped his palm over the music director’s entire face to stop him. The pointed finger Sammy was about to use on Bendy slowly drooped back down, the music director huffing

“You’re lucky there’s several reasons I can’t kick your tiny devil butt right now, bean boy.”

Bendy’s eyes snap back open with a pop noise, his face having gone blank

“...what didja just call me?”

It was Sammy’s turn to be smug now as he smirks and crosses his arms

“Oh, nothing… don’t worry about it.”

Bendy was about to argue, but Henry quickly cuts him off speaking instead

“Alright guys, why don’t we find a spot and get settled? We don’t have any more time to lose; who knows how long we have before Joey comes hunting for us…”

At the mention of Joey’s name, many of the clones shrink back a bit looking surprisingly scared. Alice angel frowns, gently placing her hand on the head of a shaken striker

“They’re so afraid…”

Tom scoffs, walking into the room now looking around a bit curiously

“They should be. Drew would probably slaughter them without batting an eye. He was always like that, cold and uncaring…”

Allison follows after him, frowning

“Yeah… not to mention how he treats these guys already.”

Henry sighs quietly, following after them as the others slowly did the same, filtering into the room. Passing over a few walkways, they descended some suspended stairs to the main factory floor where clones were running around and bustling with tools and debris rather than weapons. A stumbling fisher accidentally bumps into Henry, who looks down at it; disoriented, it squabbles at him angrily

“Oh- Sorry, I’ll get out of your way...”

Moving closer to the wall with the others, Henry looks around feeling a bit overwhelmed. In his arms, Bendy was chin-handing in thought, Edgar doing the same. Henry looks to Edgar, asking;

“We need a space that Isn’t so busy and cluttered… is there any place in the factory like that?”

Charley, whose loudness for once was a good thing, calls to him over the noise

“Yeah! There’s a storage garage they use for takin’ breaks and dumpin’ parts; It’s not clear, but It’s definitely quieter! Hah!”

“It sounds like you’ve been here before”

Edgar looks up at Henry in his arms, frowning

“That’s because we have been; it is where we were born, like all others.”

“Oh. Well, I guess that would make sense…”

Charley bounces around the others, pulling an exasperated Sammy by his arm pointing with his hatchet hand

“C’mon; I’ll show ya guys the way!!”

Sammy pulls on his arm a bit in return, grumping at him

  
“Would you mind letting me walk without holding your hand??”

“Nope! Now move it, choir boy!”

Sammy’s eyes widen with insult when Susie bumps into his other arm

“Yeah, move it choir boy~”

“Oh, don’t you start!”

“So grumpy~!”

Henry shakes his head, smiling with amusement as they followed Charley past the main factory floor. Slowly, they made their way through crowds and loud machinery to what looked like built in large garage doors. Behind them, Henry could see they all lead to one mass storage area which was a lot less noisy and busy as promised. Inside was a rather impressive collection of junk from the studio and machine, as well as many butcher gang clones organizing, sleeping, or simply relaxing. Stopping by an area with various assortments of chairs and furniture, Charley poses

“Ta-dah! Much better!”

Henry finally sets down Bendy and Edgar, the latter taking the opportunity to sit down. Slowly, the others began to do the same while Bendy promptly hops onto a small crate being used as a makeshift table in the center of the chairs. Some lingering clones eyed him with disdain, yet curiosity. The little demon didn’t seem to notice however as he turned to Henry instead, grinning

“ _ Now _ I can explain everythin’ me an’ Edgar learned! I’m sure yer all dyin’ ta know!”

Sammy huffs a bit at that

“Yes, why don’t you put on a show for us too while you’re at it…”

Bendy sticks his tongue out at him before smiling at Henry again

“Well, Henry? Dontcha wanna sit down too?”

Blinking, Henry realized that his own legs were aching pretty bad. Taking Bendy’s cue, he moves over and sinks into a seat next to Boris on one side, a piper with too many eyes on the other. Henry awkwardly raises one hand a little in greeting to it

“Uh… hey there.”

The piper blinks its eyes asynchronously, mouth hanging open but rather expressionless otherwise. It made Henry feel creeped out. Bendy quickly drew his attention away however, clearing his throat and holding up the strange journal he’d shown Joey earlier.

“First thing’s first… lemme explain why me an’ Ed-”

“Edgar.”

“-Eddie here vanished for so long”

Edgar looked rather unamused, but flustered at the same time; Henry felt a bit silly himself for not having seen these hints until now. He couldn’t imagine how bad it’d be for Bendy when he did.

“Ya see, the Ink demon came ta me in a dream after I passed out from touchin’ the old machine! He wasn’t tryin’ ta hurt me though, instead he wanted ta actually help. Of course, it wasn’t just outta the goodness of his heart an’ all; he has a stake in this too. Ya see…”

Bendy waves the book before opening it to a page that had drawings Henry easily recognized as Joey’s. It depicted two silhouettes, one being human and one being Bendy; they both had cartoon hearts in their chests, half of each shaded in. In large writing, the page title read ‘Soul Binding’. 

“...This is what’s lettin’ Joey control the Ink demon! A long time ago when all this was first startin’ ta happen, Joey was experimentin’ on usin’ souls fer magic stuff. When he saw the Ink demon try ta look like me, he got the idea of splittin’ one in half ta purify the good from the bad. At least, that was the idea”

Flipping the pages, Bendy holds up a drawing that depicted himself splitting from the Ink demon. Next to Henry, the many eyed piper was leaning in to see out of curiosity

“He actually managed ta do it, but not without consequences! Splittin’ a soul makes it  _ real _ unstable, an’ dangerous both to the original soul an’ the one splittin’ it. The only way ta keep it from goin’ haywire is ta bind it to someone who has a full soul! Somewhere along the line, Joey bound the Ink demon’s half of what  _ was _ ‘our’ soul to himself. That’s how he’s been usin’ him like a puppet, against his will an’ stuff; boy, does he  _ hate  _ it!”

Henry blinks, frowning then

“So he really is being forced against his will? The Ink demon doesn't want to be doing all this?”

Bendy makes a face, waving one hand in a so-so gesture

“Welllll, not exactly… there are  _ some _ things he doesn’t like doin’ thanks ta Joey, but a lotta the stuff he’s done was just him bein’... well, him.”

Sammy leans back in his chair, huffing

“So you really  _ are _ half of the Ink demon then? Isn’t that a bit confusing? And, you know, worrisome?”

“I mean, kinda? It’s a lot more complicated than even I understand. As far as I know, we’ve been split so long things have gotten  _ weird _ . The end of the journal even states that Joey didn’t know what would happen if we weren’t put back together fer a long time…”

Allison leans forward, looking concerned

“But what about the other half of your soul? If Joey has one, what happened to the other?”

“Funny you should ask that; that’s the point I was just gettin’ to! Because it’s riiiiiiight-”

Bendy winds up his arms before pointing both hands at Henry enthusiastically

“Here! It’s always been with us!”

Henry stares in shock, leaning back instinctively. Next to him the piper did the same, its many beady eyes full of disbelief. Taking a moment to double take at the piper, Henry scoffs a little looking back to Bendy

“Me?? Th-that’s ridiculous, don’t you think?”

“Nope! Ya don’t remember ‘cause it happened when ya first got dragged here by Joey; you an’ Tom both tried ta stop Joey with splittin the Ink demon’s soul, but ya didn’t fully succeed. He still split it, but at the very least ya stopped Joey from gettin’ the half he wanted… an’ ‘cause of it, you got it instead!”

Henry felt rather aware of the attention on him now, and not just from their friends, but from many lingering gazes of butcher gang clones too. Sitting up straighter, he nervously rubbed at the back of his neck

“So… I have half your soul in me? W-What does that mean, exactly?”

“Well, fer one thing, it means you an’ I are connected! I’m able ta follow you an’ vice versa! There’s also a lotta magic thanks to yer special hope stuff an’ my ~demonly~ capabilities- at least I think? But all that bein’ invincible ta ink an’ healin’ an’ stuff was ‘cause of my soul!”

Henry felt rather uncomfortable then; having a bit of his own soul missing was one thing, but to have someone  _ else’s _ inhabiting his body with him? Now  _ that _ , he thinks, was disturbing on many levels. For one, he didn’t  _ want _ to have someone else’s soul for power- but also…

“...wait; didn’t you say someone with a  _ full _ soul needed to stabilize half of one? I don’t have my full soul thanks to Joey, remember? A fragment’s missing”

Bendy blinks, standing upright and seeming unsure of that

“Huh… that’s a pretty good point. I dunno how to explain that”

Sighing, Henry shakes his head feeling a bit overwhelmed

“C-can I just give it back? Or would something bad happen?”

“Well, the Ink demon said it’d be fine as long as we’re in this dimension, but I wouldn’t be able ta stay together outside it… even so, ya can’t give it back yet!!”

Taken aback, Henry blinked a few times; nearby, Edgar almost practically squawks

“WHAT?! Why on Earth  _ not _ ?! We spent all this time to find how to undo soul binding only for you  _ not _ to use it??”

Bendy gives him a sympathetic look before turning back to Henry

“It’s ‘cause Henry needs it before I do! If I take it back now, he’ll be pretty much defenseless ta Joey- an’ that’s the  _ opposite _ of what we need!”

Henry shakes his head slowly, placing a hand over his chest still feeling uncomfortable

“But the spell?... Why’d you look so hard for it then?”

“It’s fer the Ink demon! We’re gonna use it to free him from Joey- that’s the deal he made fer helpin’ us”

Henry sighs, wondering what the Ink demon was plotting now… he didn’t exactly trust him still. Unlike Bendy, the Ink demon was adept at making clever hidden plans and having ulterior motives. Still though, did they really have other options at the moment?

“You said the Ink demon plans to help? How so?”

“Oh- he already did! He gave us what we need ta know ta beat Joey an’ get out of here! So here’s what he said: first, we gotta separate the Ink demon’s soul half from Joey with the spell. Then, we gotta get mine outta you an’ combine them together ta make it whole again! Once it’s whole, it’ll act like a key an’ unlock the ink machine’s dimensional doorway power thing an’ let us out! Buuuut there’s just a few problems…”

Scoffing, Norman leans back spreading his posture on his chair

“No, really?... Completely unsurprisin’. Problems like what?”

Bendy grimaces a bit, seeming unsure while poking two fingers together

“Wellll… fer one thing, the halves Joey an’ Henry have aren’t enough.”

Sammy gives him a funny look

“What do you mean not enough? Shouldn’t your full soul be enough to act like the key entity you’re supposed to be?”

Norman looks to Sammy, making the music director squint from his light

“A  _ what _ now?? What’re you goin’ on about?”

Sighing, Sammy covers Norman’s lense with his palm

“A while ago when I was still worshipping the Ink demon I found a special copy of Joey’s book, ‘the illusion of living’. It had personal notes in it including a study he did on dimensional entities with the power to rift dimensions. Certain living entities have a special power, that when tapped into with a ritual can connect two or more realms. I have no clue how he learned this, but I’ve got a feeling Henry’s little inspiration spark for creating Bendy wasn’t chance…”

Henry holds his head, shaking it a little

“Can we not make this more complex than it has to be? Please don’t make me question my past more than I’ve already had to...”

“Sorry, I just think It’s a little too coincidental you just so happened to create a character who ALSO just so happened to be one.”

Susie huffs, looking lost

“This sounds like random basement black magic BS; Henry, was Joey secretly a cultist or something?”

Henry shakes his head again

“Not that I  _ knew  _ of, but to be honest, there’s a lot about Joey I’m not sure of anymore. He’s pretty good at hiding things, apparently...”

Allison sighs loud enough to make all of them look to her; She looks to Bendy instead however

“Bendy, you said the soul halves weren’t enough… why? We don’t need some blood sacrifice, do we?”

Bendy’s face twists in disgust, sticking his tongue out

“Bleck! No way! The reason it won’t work is ‘cause it wouldn’t be our whole soul. The last bit of it was used fer somethin’ way worse… remember how Tom said the first machine couldn’t handle runnin’ the way it did? Well, Joey solved that fer the biggest one…remember sayin’ how ya felt it ran on magic, Tom?”

Tom slowly looks concerned, crossing his arms as his voice collar’s speaker crackles

“...yeah, I remember. Why? I don’t exactly like what you’re implying”

“Well, ya see, it  _ does _ sorta run on magic-  _ my _ magic. The little core bit of the Ink demon and my soul was put in it ta keep it runnin’... the machine’s literally our heart now. Kinda gross really, cause all the pipes are like our veins, an’ the ink... well, ya get the idea”

Henry makes a face at that, shaking his head yet  _ again _ ; how much more morbid did this whole situation have to get? Then, the thought strikes him making him frown...

“If we shut off the machine... what would happen to you?”

Bendy sighs, turning to him

“That’s one a’ the other issues. We dunno what would happen. We’d have ta pull that soul bit from the machine, which would start collapsin’ everythin’ givin’ a small window fer gettin’ out. Once we’re out though, nobody knows what’ll happen! It’s scary stuff, but I figured we should probably take it a bit at a time...”

Henry leans back in his chair further with a creak, sighing heavily; next to him, the multi-eyed piper mimics him.

“You’ve got that right… I suppose whatever happens after will just have to happen. It’s better than being stuck here, right?...”

Henry looked to the piper when saying that, its many eyes blinking at him again, but it didn’t suggest its own opinion on the matter. Around their group however, many squabbling sounds came from various butcher gang clones who were hopping up and down and making gestures. Nearby, Charley huffs with amusement grinning

“These fellas seem ta think It’s more than worth it, and the rest of us agreed ta do what it takes no matter what already- so, I guess the real question ta ask now… is how’re we gonna do it?”

Bendy beams then, excitedly hopping up and down himself on the crate-table 

“That’s the fun part! Besides makin’ a plan which is borin’, the fun part is me an’ Henry gotta practice usin’ our shared magic!”

Henry blinks at that, frowning a little with worry

“That sounds complicated... and, dangerous.”

“Probably! But It’ll be really cool if we do! C’mon Henry, It’s all we got; you an’ me are the only ones strong enough ta take on Joey an’ the Ink demon!”

Allison gives Henry a sympathetic smile 

“He’s got you there… we aren’t weak, but we’re no match for  _ magic _ either. We’ll support you with everything else, but only you can take on Joey.”

Sammy sighs, shaking his head a little

“Fitting, Isn’t it, that Henry has to be the one to do it? The ultimate finale is between the two who started everything…”

Henry looks up to the ceiling, groaning a bit

“I’m starting to feel a bit tired of all this ‘special hero’ stuff… but I guess you’re right that I helped start this. I  _ guess  _ I should be the one to finish it... but, once we’re out of here, I refuse to be treated special anymore.”

Looking back towards Bendy, Henry was surprised to see that there were even more butcher gang clones surrounding them now who looked excited. Bendy was beaming, seeming to have noticed

“See, Henry?? Even they can’t wait fer you ta help set them free!”

Sighing, Henry nods while sitting up

“Alright. I’m ready to finish this… so I guess we should get started then.”

Bendy jumps into the air pumping one fist

“ya-HOO! Me an’ Henry are gonna play with magic!!”

“But, first, we need to make a plan so we can organize everyone else while we practice.”

“Awwwww, ya gotta just go an’ suck the fun outta this, dontcha??”

Henry can’t help smiling at that, looking over to Allison

“Sometimes I do. Allison, you want to help me figure out the frame work? I know you guys see me as a good leader, but I’m far from being the most tactful… I think we could use your skill in that.”

Allison smiles back to him

“I appreciate the compliment. I’m more than happy to help, but I think we should make this a group effort since we’re all involved. Alright guys, we need a big table for the map again; let’s get started”

Bendy groans, hanging his head and arms slumping forward then

“Maaan… I wanted ta skip ta doin’ magic…”

As the little demon pouts, several many butcher gang clones suddenly come running out from around them pushing over more crates to match the one Bendy was standing on. Once combined, they created a decent table surface. Allison looks down at it with a bit of surprise

“Oh… well, that’s convenient. Thank you”

The clones all seem rather pleased as she shoos Bendy off their new makeshift table, setting out the map made from their first attempt at fighting the Ink demon previously.

“Okay, every comfortable? Because this might take a while”


	51. Magic Mayhem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magic. The one thing Henry always joked about putting into his work, and here it is now in front of him more real than ever- and he's having a hard time accepting it. During his attempts, his old inky infection shows a new side to it that leaves only more confusion and frustration, but Henry can only hope to improve his ability if they're to have a chance in fighting Joey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: horror, mild body horror (the act of ripping something out of a body is mentioned)

* * *

Just as Allison had predicted, it took them a while to figure out a plan; with so many variables, they had to leave things looser than Henry wanted, but it was better to have adaptability in case something went wrong. The most difficult problems to overcome would be getting the soul pieces away from Joey, separating the Ink demon from him, and figuring out how to get everyone out in time when the machine’s doorway opened. And, that meant _everyone_. 

Currently, their idea was to have Henry somehow trick Joey into letting him get close so he could get the souls and not suffer at the claws of the Ink demon. If they tried separating the two first Joey would likely use the soul pieces to stop them, so it was imperative to get them beforehand. However, freeing the Ink demon was just as risky regardless; Bendy had admitted even he didn’t know how the Ink demon would react once free, but Henry had a gut feeling it wouldn’t be friendly.

Aside from that, if they did by some miracle manage to get the ink machine’s dimensional portal to work, they’d have to somehow make sure everyone escaped. To Henry, this meant saving every last lost one, searcher, and butcher gang copy because he refused to leave anyone behind. Naturally, this presented the issue of somehow getting every last occupant of the studio to the machine and out of it.

Loosely, their plan was mostly to get the souls from Joey, split the Ink demon from him, restore Bendy’s soul, then get everyone out. The rest would have to be rather improvised, but thankfully the others seemed to be pretty good at that by now. Already Allison was working out details with Tom on getting in contact with the lost ones, while Susie, Edgar, and Charley were doing the same with the butcher gang clones. Hopefully the searchers would follow everyone else as they typically did without much encouragement.

Currently, Barley had convinced several many other fishers to join him in an assembly where they were making dozens of communication radios for everyone. Boris was helping gather materials for them while Alice angel practiced more of her ‘magic’ that Henry still didn’t understand. Meanwhile, Sammy and Norman were busy studying the dark arts texts Bendy had brought back in case there was anything that could be of use to them- but they were also busy arguing over saving their music sheets and reels, which Henry thinks they’d likely have to leave behind.

While everyone was busy doing their part, Henry was setting up to supposedly practice magic with Bendy and feeling incredibly nervous about it. Being an ordinary person was already a lot for him to handle dealing with life’s problems on the daily; now, supernatural powers and magic? That, Henry thinks, was a lot more to try and grasp than he could ever wrap his mind around. Bendy, however, was ecstatic and his excitement was so tangible it was almost making Henry feel it himself. 

Hopping up and down again, the demon was smiling at him

“Okay Henry, let’s try some stuff!!”

Sighing, Henry felt unsure

“That’s the thing, though… what exactly _is_ this ‘stuff’ we’re doing? I didn’t even know magic was real before all this- and I’m still struggling to accept it…”

Bendy snorts, giving him a funny look

“Hey, how do you think _/I/_ feel seeing your non-cartoon world? None of this makes sense to me either- so do what I do and just roll with it!”

Sighing again but louder this time, Henry rubs the back of his neck

“I mean, that’s the idea… but what are we trying exactly? Do you even know what Joey can do with the Ink demon’s ‘soul magic’?”

Bendy pauses, thinking about that

“Hmm… well, I know one thing he can use is making the Ink demon move like a puppet… can ya try that??” 

Making a face, Henry shakes his head

“No way; I don’t want to do that to you! It was disturbing enough to see first hand, I’d rather not recreate it.”

Bendy shrugs nonchalantly

“Aw c’mon, I’m consentin’ ain’t I?”

“I-it just doesn’t feel right. I’d rather not.”

“Hmmmm... fine. There’s gotta be _somethin’_ you can try! Hmmm… oh! I got it! Whatta ‘bout healin’??”

Henry furrows his brow at that

“I mean, I guess that’s not a bad place to start... but what am I supposed to heal? I’m not exactly hurt”

Bendy practically skips over to him, poking him right over the front of his left shoulder. Immediately, Henry winces while putting a hand over the spot; Bendy frowns in response, looking up at him

“But ya _are_. It’s bad again, Isn’t it?...”

Slowly, Henry looks inside his shirt from the collar. Sure enough, he could see that the black infection had spread again. It didn’t look good.

“It’s… not great. I don’t know if I can really heal this though- even Alice couldn’t.”

“Yeah, but she’s different! Angel magic ain’t the same as demon magic!”

“I wish I at least knew what this _was_ … or what any of this ‘magic’ stuff was either.”

“Who cares?? Let’s just fix it!”

Henry looks down to the eager demon feeling reluctant still

“I _guess_ we can try… can you bring me a chair so I can sit down at least?”

Without hesitating, Bendy hurried towards the assorted furniture before grabbing a chair to bring over to Henry. Sammy, who was set up with Norman nearby to help them with all the magic testing, speaks up then;

“If you want, I can try looking up tips.”

“It’d help… I have no idea what I’m doing.

“Right; better safe than sorry”

As Bendy came running back over with a chair, Henry pulled off his sweater vest before starting to undo his shirt enough to uncover his shoulder. From the corner of his eye he catches Sammy watching him, making him feel slightly embarrassed. Bendy sets the chair down for him then, grinning

“Here ya go; now let’s fix yer shoulder!”

“ _Try_ to. Don’t hold your breath on it.”

“Why not?? Ya can’t tell me what to do!”

“Bendy-”

The demon inhales deeply then, holding his breath. Henry sighs loudly, looking down on him

“Bendy, stop.”

When the little demon refuses Henry gets a smug look

“Don’t make me make you.”

Bendy gives him a questioning look before Henry pokes the demon in his ribs, causing him to immediately wheeze and giggle before pouting

“Aw, that’s cheatin’!!”

Henry grins a bit before Sammy clears his throat getting their attention again

“If you’re done messing around, I found something about regeneration.”

Sitting down on the chair now, Henry looks to him

“Alright, what does it say?”

Sammy squints at the page for a moment before Norman leans over giving him extra light.

“Ah… thank you. It says the ink has potential to be resilient to injury when you’re made from it, which is for obvious reasons- being made of liquid isn’t easy to hurt as flesh. If too much damage occurs, it can easily be reversed either by consuming more ink- _blech,_ or time. The Ink demon is a special case however, as his magic allows him to exploit this ability making him essentially invincible to physical harm due to how fast he can regenerate...”

Henry looks to his shoulder, feeling a little sickened by how the blackened veins and patches of skin looked plague-like.

“Urrgh.. So how do I tap into that?”

“Hm… Well, Joey wrote that It’s inherent for the demon. For himself, however, he had to either apply or consume ink- _then_ control it and _make_ it heal. Doesn’t say how it works though… I think a lot of it is inexplicable second hand nature.”

Henry was disappointed but not surprised at that, frowning at his shoulder

“Great; so basically, ‘figure it out on your own’ then?”

“Pretty much.”

Bendy shrugs at him earnestly 

“Well, I can getcha some ink?...”

“Might as well. Let’s see what we can do.”

Bendy closes his eyes holding out his hands before he waves them, a floating leak of ink coming to them through the wall. The grinning demon holds it before Henry in a bubble-like formation 

“Here ya go! Maybe you can try movin’ it yerself too, just to start?”

“Okay… how do you usually do it?”

“Well, I kinda just _feel_ it- then it responds ta me!”

“Responds… well, can’t hurt to try…”

Sammy and Norman watch curiously now as Henry held out one hand to the ink. Henry always felt slowed down, trapped, and endangered by it; he didn’t exactly have a positive association with ink usually. Now, he had to try putting that aside to ‘control’ it… how could things get weirder?

Focusing, Henry tries to feel any kind of connection to the ink, but the longer he stares at it the more he felt it was pointless. Dropping his hand with a sigh, Henry shakes his head

“I feel ridiculous; this Isn’t doing anything. Maybe I’m not meant to be the one doing magic, maybe you’re the only one who can…”

Bendy frowns, lowering the ink then

“Aww, c’mon Henry! Don’t give up so quickly!! What happened to yer patience and stubbornness ta keep tryin’?”

“It’s just- it feels _silly_. I probably look ridiculous, too.”

Scoffing, Bendy give him a smirk

“Silly? Henry, _all_ of this is kind of silly if you think about it! Besides, ya made a bunch of ol cartoons- you should know how ta be silly in strides!”

Henry smiles little at that, but shakes his head

“I mean of course I do, but It’s still embarrassing…”

Sammy shrugs, about to say something but Norman gives him a look that silences him. Henry sighs again, looking to Bendy

“I don’t even think I’m doing this right. When Joey was using the Ink demon’s soul, I could see it glowing in his chest… if that’s not happening to me, then I must be doing something wrong.”

Bendy drops the ink to the floor with a splash that makes Henry flinch a little, but his clothing had been stained long ago regardless so there wasn’t much point to try avoiding it. Sammy flips through another one of the books, speaking finally;

“Maybe you’re just not cut-out for all this magic stuff, no offense; you weren’t chosen for this kind of thing, nor do any of us _really_ understand it…”

Henry recalled far back when he’d first met Sammy how much he’d argued over being the chosen prophet while Henry was a faker. Squinting at the music director a little, Henry makes a jerking arm motion towards him that makes Sammy flinch; however, the ink stayed on the floor unmoving. Scoffing, Sammy smirks at him

“Hah! It didn’t work! Which is good, because if it had, you would’ve been _sorry_ . You have _no_ idea how much I HATE the ink and-”

As Sammy starts going on a bit of a tangent, Norman leans forward pointing at Bendy while looking at Henry

“Psst. The secret is connectin’ with yer partner. You gotta feel his soul inside ya, then bond yerself with it. Once ya do, then you can use it”

Norman waves the small special journal Bendy had found in his hand

“Says it right in here.”

While Sammy continued ranting in the background, Henry furrows his brow now focusing on Bendy instead who gives him an amused grin. 

‘What’re you tryina do, old man? Read my thoughts? Ya look constipated’

Henry blinks, making a face

“Ugh, Bendy, that’s just vulgar.”

Bendy looks confused then, returning the look

“Huh?? I didn’t say nothin’!”

“Yes you did. You said I looked… you know what, nevermind that; you said I was trying to read your thoughts.”

Bendy stares at him before grinning ecstatically 

“Henry!! I think ya _did_ read my thoughts! I was thinkin’ that in my head!”

Sammy snorts a bit, grinning

“Woo hoo, now you can hear all the nonsense going on in bean boy’s head”

Bendy gives Sammy a dirty look when Henry hears more of his thoughts indeed

‘BEAN BOY?! He’s lucky he’s cute, ‘cause I’d drown him in INK otherwise!’

Henry grins awkwardly, trying not to laugh

“Cute?”

Bendy’s expression blanks then as he flusters

“Okay, this ain’t funny anymore!! Don’t do that!”

Sammy looks confused before Norman snorts himself, letting out a hearty laugh. Bendy sighs, crossing his arms

“Alright alright, ‘nough of that!! Why don’tcha try movin’ the ink now??”

“Okay, I’m sorry… I’m trying”

Henry focuses himself again, this time on the ink; connecting with Bendy made him sense the demon’s mind as if it were partially in his own. After a moment, Henry felt a strange warmth in his chest soon followed by a light; was he doing it right? Cautiously, he holds out one hand over the ink taking a breath and making a pulling motion. 

A sudden shot of energy fires down his arm however, making him jerk it upwards and send the ink flying and raining down all over them. Holding his arm, Henry grimaces while Sammy squawks and holds up his arms pointlessly trying to keep the ink off. Bendy merely laughs while Norman shakes his head looking to Henry

“What happened now? It looked like you had it…”

Rubbing his arm, Henry makes a face

“Ugh… I don’t know. It felt like I stuck my hand in an electric socket”

Flicking ink off himself with contempt, Sammy gives him a look

“Well, thanks to your reaction, we took an ink shower! Disgusting...”

“Sorry…”

Bendy, still snickering, points at Sammy

“The look on yer face was totally worth it though”

Sammy gives him a look while Henry rubs at his chest

“I don’t know about this... It’s probably more dangerous than we thought. If I’m not careful, I think the energy from Bendy’s soul could _kill_ me”

Bendy stops laughing at that, frowning instead

“Aww Henry, don’t say that! I don’t wanna accidentally kill you!”

Looking to his infected shoulder again, Henry sighs

“Even if you don’t, this weird infection from the Ink demon probably will”

Norman crosses his arms, cocking his head to one side

“Seems you’re damned if ya do, damned if ya don’t- so might as well try again. Maybe just tone it back, like... a lot.”

Sammy sighs too now, looking to Henry

“Just be slower about it; I think you just used too much energy at once”

Henry looks to Bendy, giving the demon a side glance

“Doesn’t help when my partner here is full of it...”

Bendy holds out his hands to both sides

“Whaaaat? Not my fault ya made me so peppy!”

Rolling his eyes, Henry smiles a little

“Yeah, I guess I did… alright; let’s try this again. Slower, of course”

“Yeah!!”

“Which means _calm down_ , Bendy”

“Awww...”

When Bendy finally settled, Henry turned to what was left of the ink on the floor before holding out his hand again. Focusing for what felt like the hundredth time, he starts to feel the buzzing energy from the demon’s soul inside him once more. This time however, he was more careful with very slightly tapping his mind into it rather than reaching fully. Under his extended palm, the ink rose a little before a cautious tendril of it met his hand. Letting it fall, Henry watches it splash before smiling as Bendy hops up and down excitedly

“YEAH!! Ya did it!! Henry can do magic!!! Yay yay yay- we can DESTROY EVERYTHING together!-”

“ _Bendy!_ ”

“-Sorry! I got excited…”

Norman chuckles, Sammy also actually smiling for once

“You _would_ want to, wouldn’t you?”

Bendy shrugs, winking

“Hey, we _are_ going to at some point!”

“I suppose that’s true…”

Henry turns his focus to his shoulder however, frowning. He had to try something…

While the others weren’t paying attention, he moves his hand over the infection and refocuses. Feeling the energy, he felt something _else_ with it- something hot, angry, and poisonous. It felt as if something had burrowed into his body and was now trying to decay and kill him. Just feeling it there sickened Henry and made him anxious; he had to get it _out_.

Closing his eyes, he felt the burning of it in his veins and skin… trying to gain control of it, Henry noticed it slowly move a little from his influence. However, it practically reacted as if it were sentient, jerking under his control causing horrible pain all over his upper left torso.

“AUUGH!!”

Doubling over, Henry inhales sharply as the others all startle and come running over to him. All three of them shout at the same time;

“Henry!!!”

Grimacing in pain, Henry closes his eyes tightly before holding his hand shakily towards it again

“I have… I have to get it _out_ ”

Sammy grabs his wrist, trying to stop him 

“Henry, It’s clearly _not_ a good idea! You could make it worse or seriously injure yourself!!”

Norman nods in agreement

“Yeah, seriously; just leave it! We’ll find another way, okay?”

Henry shakes his head, breathing heavily

“I can _do_ this; just let me try…”

Bendy whines a bit, pulling on Henry’s arm too now

“Henryyy, don’t! It ain’t worth it!!”

Despite their pleas for him to stop, Henry starts to try again; he could feel it practically writhing each time he tried to control it as if it were fighting back. Making a gripping motion with his hand, Henry yells in pain making the others yell back and try to stop him- it was quite _literally_ fighting back now. He wasn’t going to give up, though; he desperately wanted whatever it was _out_ of his body, and he wasn’t going to stop trying until it was. 

Sammy shouts at him still however,

“HENRY, STOP! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!”

Ignoring them all, Henry grips harder only making the pain worse; then, he throws his arm forward out of Sammy and Bendy’s grasp in a yanking motion away from his body. Immediately, a searing white hot pain almost blinded him as the black disease-like substance literally _ripped_ from his body, spraying out of the wound. Falling from his chair in response, Henry hit the floor while the other three shouted and panicked over him, but he felt too dizzy and in pain to react.

The daze didn’t last however as he quickly came back to full awareness, along with a new horrible pain from what he’d just done. Inhaling sharply, Henry clenches his teeth to stop himself from screaming; Bendy quickly takes action thankfully, using the ink to heal over where Henry had ripped the infection from. 

Once the pain became bearable enough, he breathed more easily and blinked to clear up his senses. Some of the others had come running over out of concern, along with several butcher gang clones who were curious and startled. Henry now had Allison, Tom, Boris, Alice Angel, Sammy, Norman, and Bendy all surrounding him with varying looks of worry.

Allison kneels by him, furrowing her brow

“Henry, what did you do??”

“I… I removed it… I didn’t want it in me anymore- is it gone?”

Looking down to his chest, Henry felt a cold disappointment upon seeing the thin black lines from where the Ink demon had clawed him; it wasn’t fully gone. Groaning, he lets his head slump to the floor before looking past everyone to where the substance had landed. It was… steaming. Was it burning through where it had landed?? Several butcher gang members seemed to be investigating it while Allison gently coaxes Henry to sit up again.

“That was really dangerous. I understand feeling desperate to get rid of the pain, but you could have seriously hurt yourself _worse-_ and irreversibly, at that.”

Cautiously feeling over the scarring, Henry frowns at her before turning his attention back to the steaming floor

“I know; I get what I did was really dumb, but are you _seeing_ this right now??”

Blinking, Allison gives him a look of confusion before she and the others turn to see that the black substance Henry tore from himself had melted into the floor. Bendy runs over to stare down on it before huffing loudly in disbelief

“What the Hell? If that stuff melted through the floor, how come it was sittin’ in ya just fine?? What _is_ this stuff???”

Pulling his shirt back over his shoulder, Henry starts to re-button it while still frowning

“I wish we had the answer, but I have a feeling it’s something only Joey would know. Sorry for scaring all of you like that… I’m not going to be doing it again anytime soon, I can assure you.”

Snorting, Tom crosses his arms looking at the floor where it had melted

“I’m not so sure about that… if the stuff’s that nasty, I wouldn’t be surprised if you went wild trying to rip it out again.”

Henry grimaces a little, rubbing his shoulder gently

  
“I just- I ran out of my own ink mix, and-”

Norman shakes his head cutting him off

“And even if we had it, it’s not much more pleasant than this to be honest. If all these fixes are only temporary an’ really painful, whatcha _really_ need is a cure.”

Henry sighs, looking to the magic books they’d been using

“But we don’t _have_ one, nor do we have the time to hunt for one when-”

Tom cuts him off now, eyeing some of the butcher gang clones now poking at the hole in the floor

“We really need to focus on preparing instead of this. Listen Henry, I don’t hate ya, but I agree; we just can’t waste more time tryin’ to fix somethin’ we don’t even understand, nor have the means to start understanding.”

Feeling exasperated at being spoken over, Henry sighs again and leans forward, waiting to see if anyone else was going to speak. When nobody does, he tries again;

“Which is _why_ we shouldn’t spend more time worrying over me. I appreciate the sentiment, but I think we’ve all spent more time and energy on myself than necessary. I’ll be alright for now, it doesn’t spread that fast anyways.”

Boris whines at him with the others seeming just as unsure, but Allison sighs herself now placing a hand on his shoulder

“We’ll keep working on escape, but we won’t ignore it outright, Okay? I don’t want you to think we’ll simply bat an eye at things like this. Just... try not doing anything else stupid or dangerous if you can help it.”

Bendy gets a rather smug look on his face then as he proudly puffs his chest, putting his hands on his hips

“Stupid? Why, lady, we’ve _never_ done anythin’ stupid; ‘specially not me! You can take my word fer it!”

Allison gives quite the uninspired look in response as she stands, helping Henry up too

“Riiight… I have total confidence now. Thanks.”

Bendy scoffs, eyeing her

“Hey, I ain’t a stranger ta sarcasm! We’ll be fiiine!”

It was Sammy’s turn to scoff now as the music director walks back over to the table of magic books

“I give it another five minutes before something else goes wrong…”

Allison looks concerned at that, but Norman gently elbows her arm

“Don’t take mr.grumpy suspenders’ word on that; he’s just pessimistic sometimes”

Sammy turns, giving Norman a dirty look

“I am _not_ , I’m just realistic!”

“Alright, make that most of the time.”

“Wh- Norman!!!”

Shaking her head, Allison smiles a bit looking back to Henry

“Just… try not to cause more trouble, alright? I hope you feel better.”

Henry nods a bit to her

“Thanks… good luck with your project too”

“We’re going to need it… the lost ones aren’t exactly thrilled with danger. Also, we’ll be nearby if you need us, okay?”

“Right; I appreciate it”

Henry flinches as Boris hugs him then, Alice angel joining in too before they both smile at him, Boris signing;

‘We can stick around and keep you company if you want?’

Smiling a bit, Henry shakes his head

“Thanks buddy, but we really need to focus on our tasks. You can stay close, but Barley really needs your help, alright? Alice, do you think you could stick with Boris too?”

“Of course! I’d love to do what I can for everyone, and Boris~” 

Boris looked a bit embarrassed at that making Alice beam before she frowns looking back to Henry

“But are you sure you’re alright Henry?... You can’t just be done and over something so terrible so fast!”

Frowning a little, Henry looks back to the hole in the floor that the butcher gang clones had now tried covering with a small rug. 

“I’m not... I’ll admit that. But again, we sadly don’t exactly have the time for this; it’s just not the priority. I’ll be okay for now though, I already feel better without that stuff inside me at the least”

Alice seemed unsure as did Boris, but Bendy waves a hand getting their attention

“Aw guys, It’s fine! I’m keepin’ watch on ‘im, okay? If somethin’ goes wrong, I’ll call ya back over, ‘kay?”

Alice chuckles a little while Boris sighs through his nose, Alice gently patting Bendy on his head

“Okay, Bendy… You’ve done a good job so far, so I trust you.”

Bendy beams at the two before they finally head off, leaving the original ‘magic practice’ group where they’d started. Henry’s mind was still dwelling on the terrible substance he’d pulled from himself though… Whatever it was, he had the odd feeling this was only the beginning of what it was capable of. 

What would happen if he let it spread too far? Would it simply kill him, or do something equally if not more horrible? Who else could the Ink demon have possibly inflicted it upon? Henry had to be far from the only one scratched by him after all. He wished they had more time to hunt for answers, but they had to focus on their current situation- at least for the time being.

Waving again, Bendy calls over to him;

“C’mon Henry, let’s try some other tricks! I bet there’s loads ‘a cool things you can do!!”

Sammy quickly cuts in however,

“Preferably things that won’t make you hit the floor screaming again, please.”

Feeling his shoulder still throbbing, Henry rubs it absentmindedly

“Oh, trust me… I’ll be avoiding that for a while. So… what else we got?”

“Well, besides healing and ink control, the Ink demon is adept at teleporting through ink or walking through permeable surfaces. There’s also shapeshifting, but I’m not so sure about that one…”

Bendy hops up and down then, looking excited

“Oh oh- I love that! Messin’ with yer form is lotsa fun! It’s what we toons are _made_ for!! Like this!”

Waving his arm around, Henry watches in bewilderment as it changes into a comically oversized mallet. Many of the observing butcher gang clones make surprised noises before they attempt to do the same, but fail to do so. Bendy shakes his arm off back to normal before grinning at Henry

“Oh- I got other tricks too! Like _SCARY!_ ”

“Bendy, I don’t think-”

The demon ignores him however, clenching both hands tightly before uncurling them and revealing long claws. Then, he closes his eyes before reopening them, revealing he’d made them rather unnerving. Grimacing, Henry holds out a hand

“Bendy You _really_ shouldn’t-”

“What’s wrong, old man? _Scared?_ ”

“No, but-”

“No?? Then I gotta try harder!”

“ _Bendy-_ ”

Facepalming, Henry could only watch as the demon twisted around and messed with his form until he looked quite disturbing indeed. In fact, he looked a lot like the Ink demon at the moment. Quite pleased with himself, Bendy cackles before Henry finally gets through to him

“ _Bendy_ , the clones!!!”

Pausing, Bendy slowly looks around finally realizing that the butcher gang clones had either began to cower or run away entirely. Quickly shrinking back to normal, he grimaces

“Aw jeeze- I forgot! Sorry…”

Sammy snorts, looking rather amused at the situation

“I guess we know how to make them leave us alone at least…”

Norman sighs, leaning back in his chair looking to Henry

“So, ya think you can make yourself freaky too?”

Sammy makes a face, looking to Henry too

“Are you seriously going to do that? Please don’t do something gross like make your eyes all scary or split your face open”

Rolling his eyes, Henry looks over to Bendy who was playing with his form again, making his hands oversized this time.

“We agreed nothing that would put me at risk, so I’m not going to split my face open. Bendy _did_ give me an idea though…”

“I did??”

Holding up his right arm, Henry tries to use the same tactic on it that he used to control the ink; focus, control, pull. Feeling it tingle, he makes a bit of a face; it was definitely odd being able to feel his arm was not composed of bones and flesh anymore, but ink instead. 

Henry could feel the other’s eyes on him as he starts to wave his arm around a bit, likely looking silly to them; he was too focused on doing what Bendy did however to take much notice. Lifting up his arm, he pictured an axe clearly as he could before flicking it downward- immediately he felt the disturbing sensation of his limb squishing and extending, fast enough that he flinches with a yell of surprise. 

Waving his arm around in a brief panic, Henry causes Bendy to duck and shout

“HEY, WATCH IT!! YER SWINGIN’ THAT THING WAY TOO CLOSE TA ME!”

Grabbing what _was_ his arm, Henry stares. From his elbow down, his arm had shrunk into the long handle of an axe with his hand now a blade shining and reflecting his own face. Looking to Sammy and Norman, he could tell they were shocked as he was- especially Sammy, whose mouth was hanging open. 

The music director shakes it off a bit before looking him in the eye now

“Henry, that is _freakish!_ ”

Bendy snorts and giggles, hopping up to Henry before pulling on his axe arm

“I think it’s both useful an’ neat as Hell!”

Norman shakes his head a little, sighing heavily

“I’m on Sammy’s side with this; it’s definitely freakish. _But,_ Bendy’s right too; this could be useful in a fight or somethin’”

Henry raises his axe arm, waving it around slowly making a face at it still

“It feels _weird_. It’s still my arm, but not at the same time… I wonder...”

Lifting his left arm too now, Henry manages to change it into another axe before looking to Bendy who huffs a laugh and bounces up and down

“Axe arms, axe arms!! Henry’s got axe arms! Now you can cut stuff anytime ya want!!”

Sammy sniffs a bit, looking concerned

“Yeah, like yourself”

Henry smiles a little, actually rather amused; this had to be one of the more interesting moments of his inky life. 

“Hey Bendy… wanna get me some targets?”

“DO I?!”

Practically exploding off with energy, the demon nearly runs over several butcher gang clones to pull over boxes and useless scrap. Sammy gives Henry a look of concern 

“Is this really a good idea??”

Henry shrugs, raising both axe arms

“I have axes for arms, and a lot of pent up emotions to let out. Of course I think It’s a terrible idea, but I deserve to let off some steam too.”

Raising both brows at that, Sammy leans back in his chair shrugging

“Alright, then; fair game.”

Bendy comes running back over then, dumping the different things around for Henry to break. Watching the little demon set it up, Henry leans over a crate speaking to him

“Hey Bendy, want to try with me? If we’re going to partner up like Joey has with your other half, we need to be synchronized”

Bendy’s face practically lights up more than it already was somehow before the little demon changes both of his arms into axes too

“Oh, Henry… I thought ya’d never ask!”

Chuckling a bit, Henry looks over to Sammy and Norman who seemed unsure

“Try not to get hit with debris.”

With that, Henry lunges forward smashing a wooden crate into oblivion with a swift swing, sending wood pieces flying everywhere. He’d been swinging enough weapons around for God knows how long in this place that he now had the knack for it. He also had the muscle despite his heavier appearance hiding most of it, giving him plenty of power many others underestimated.

Preparing to lunge for another target, Henry hears Bendy laugh and follow after him, smashing up the scrap right by his side. He had to admit it; this was pretty fun, and much needed after everything they’d been through. More magic could wait for just a bit…

...Henry just wanted to make sure Joey would regret ever giving a cartoonist the power to _be_ a cartoon in the first place.


	52. Finding Missing Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the group meets up again, Henry is met with new yet familiar faces and the idea of finding those he'd accidentally forgotten. Amongst this, the pressure to find a way to rescue everyone lingers leaving him and Bendy to struggle to find a new way to save everyone one they found the way out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none
> 
> Notes: one drawing this update for chapter 52! I'm trying to edit ahead of time because I want to get bigger bursts of chapters out to rush for the finish because I'm getting a little tired of how long this is taking lol. While my health has been making things harder I'm going to do my best and see if I can't get out more chapters sooner! Stay tuned for next update, hopefully i'll have at least 5 chapters ready next update!

* * *

Having spent many hours practicing now, Henry had learned he could do quite a bit with the special powers Bendy’s soul granted him. Though it was definitely a shaky process with a _lot_ of near incidents (which, franky, Henry was keen on not sharing with Allison), he had gained respective progress for his efforts.

Controlling ink was the easiest thing for him to do now as it was quite responsive and easily manipulated, which must be one reason why Joey chose it for making things. His transformative ability was still a work in progress, as Henry was decent at changing himself but getting back was a surprisingly difficult. In the process of figuring it out, he’d accidentally melted both arms into ink and struggled with the worry of Bendy, Sammy, and Norman. Thankfully, he’d managed to fix it.

Additionally, going through walls was straightforward, though regrettably one of the most uncomfortable things he’d ever done. Everytime he did, Henry could practically feel his molecules liquefy and split around the atoms of the wall which was… unpleasant. If he had to describe it, he’d compare it to squeezing silly putty through a bunch of small holes then reforming it on the other side. Needless to say, it wasn’t fun and left stains on the walls.

Everything else was comparatively much more a work in progress, and much more dangerous. As a result, Sammy had made a list of everything they’d found he could do to try and work on them and keep notes of his progress. On the paper, Henry could see them listed with notes denoting how good he was at them and their level of danger. Currently, the number one most dangerous power was tapping into Bendy’s _actual_ magic- the brief blip of a moment Henry had tried made him feel incredibly unholy and unlike anything he’d felt before. According to Sammy, he’d also physically changed into something horrifying to look at in the brief moment too.

Besides that, the list had the previous few abilities along with regeneration and healing, item summoning, liquifying, and puppeteering. Henry liked puppeteering the least, finding it incredibly difficult to do both physically and emotionally. So far, he had just barely managed to do it like tapping Bendy’s magic, and the moment he did made him feel sickened. The sensation was a lot like pulling physical strings inside of someone else to manipulate them- it just felt _wrong_ to him.

The unfortunate volunteer to learn this with Henry had been Norman, who Henry had only managed to make freeze and raise one arm before their connection broke. Neither had attempted again after the fact, leaving Sammy very worried over Norman and Bendy trying to reassure Henry it was alright.

Now, the four of them were taking a break and catching up with the others; afterall, they’d done what they could for the time being. 

Sitting in the area full of chairs where they’d made their plans earlier, the ‘magic practice’ group had been gradually joined by the rest minus a couple still on their way. Henry was currently messing with some ink in his hands, floating it around and trying to turn it into something. For some reason however, neither he nor Bendy were able to do so even though the gent machines could.

Finally, the last two who were missing showed up, followed by an entourage that surprised Henry making him sit up and drop the ink he was toying with. Allison smiles at him as she approaches, Tom keeping by her side as they’re followed by groups of lost ones. Getting up, Henry turns to them

“So, what’s the news then?”

Allison glances back at the lost ones briefly as they’re greeted with curious butcher gang clones, turning to Henry now

“It’s good news, for one thing; we’ve managed to network all the different groups of lost ones throughout the studio, as well as get them in on what’s going on. They’ve all agreed to follow us to potential freedom, whether it happens or not- I suppose when you’ve got nothing left to lose, it’s not a bad option”

Tom crosses his arms, sighing from his voice collar

“There are some issues though. For one thing, there’s so damn many of ‘em- and who knows how much time we’ll have to get them out of the machine? Not to mention the fair amount of rogue clones and lost ones who aren’t cooperating. There’s also _one_ other major issue…”

Henry furrows his brow, Looking between the two who both looked rather drained

“What? What major issue?”

Before either can answer, a commotion rose from the crowd of lost ones as somebody started shouting and shoving their way forward. It was a new voice that Henry vaguely recognized, likely from a tape recording…however, he couldn’t remember from whom.

“MOVE IT; OUT OF MY WAY! C’MON NOW, GIT! LET ME IN FRONT OR ELSE!”

Looking to Tom and Allison with concern, Henry opens his mouth about to ask when suddenly the Bendy animatronic from Bendy Land came bursting out from between them. Stumbling a bit, the robot nearly knocked over Henry who stumbles back away from it as both regain their balance. Cursing rather colorfully, the animatronic’s face that was currently hanging open re-closes before it poses grumpily before him.

“Well well well... you’re the talk of talk, Mister Henry-Hero-Stein, Huh?”

“Uh… yeah, that’s me-”

Leaning forward into his face to the point Henry had to lean back, the animatronic clacks its face panels rather angrily

“Look at me and this- this _abomination_ I’m stuck in! Christ almighty, if I had the choice, I’da burned this damned thing and then burned the ashes! Ah, but where’s my manners? Hey there; names’ Lacie. Lacie Benton. Pleased ta finally meetcha, mr.almighty-hero”

Holding out the one hand she still hand, Henry cautiously shakes it giving an awkward smile

“Wow. I remember you from your audio recording, but I never thought… I thought you were gone- like, you didn’t _stay_ kind of gone.”

Huffing with some steam coming out of the robot, Lacie stands upright putting her one hand on her hip

“Oh trust me, takes a LOT more than some messed up machines an’ evil ouija magic to get ridda me. Can’t say my current situation is very pleasant though, ‘specially missin’ an arm and what-not thanks to _Tom_ ”

Tom scoffs a bit, holding out his arms

“Hey, I _said_ I was sorry! You weren’t using it at the time and I needed it!”

“Yeah, right, whatever ya say Tom…”

Tom scoffs again, but Allison gently touches his shoulder shaking her head at him. Sighing, he crosses his arms looking to Henry

“Lacie here wanted to speak to you about something else that’s the actual issue we mentioned”

Henry frowns, looking to her

“Oh boy… what’s the problem?”

Lacie whirs loudly, clanking around as she dramatically acts out her speech with the animatronic’s body

“I overheard everyone talkin’ ‘bout up an’ leavin’ this place finally, which It’s about _damn_ time! _But,_ we can’t leave Bertrum behind!”

Grimacing, Henry slaps a hand to his forehead; this time around, their group had mostly avoided going through Bendy Land, so he’d forgotten about the haunted amusement ride.

“Bertrum! I can’t believe I forgot about him...”

Lacie snorts, turning to him again

“I don’t see how ya could, considering he’s tethered to a damn amusement park ride! How’re we supposed ta get him outta here, huh? ‘Cause if you say we aren’t, I’m gonna deck yer lights into next year, one punch an’ nothin’ more.”

Eyeing Lacie’s metal fist, Henry grimaces again; he was not eager to find out if she was capable of punching him through time.

“I wasn’t going to. In fact, I made a statement about not leaving anyone behind as long as we can help it”

Tom snorts now, eyeing Henry

“And we can help moving a several many ton amusement park ride out of here?”

Henry frowns, looking to Lacie who was silently eyeing him. She seemed to be waiting for his answer- and hopefully not to punch him for it

“Maybe not the whole ride, but the part of it with Bertrum in it. Lacie, you saw his head inside the center of it, right?”

“Hmph, sure did; he looks worse for wear even more so than me, I’ll tell ya that…”

“What if we remove that part from the ride and take it with us?”

Allison grimaces a bit at that

“Henry, It’s still a large heavy machine part… how’re we supposed to carry it with us?”

Henry looks to Lacie, who slowly realizes what he was implying

“Huh? You want _me_ to carry him? I don’t even have two arms, Stein!”

“Maybe not, but Barley might be able to help with that”

“Barley? Who the heck is Barley?”

From behind, Henry hears Susie speak up 

“He’s one of my butcher gang members.”

Clanking around with surprise, Lacie sounded rather ecstatic all of a sudden

“Well I’ll be! If it ain’t miss Susie Campbell herself! Where on Earth did your pretty little smile up and vanish to all those years ago?! I missed seein’ such a cute gal step on ol’ Drew’s toes!”

Blinking, Susie looked caught off guard as she actually _flustered_ for once. Henry felt this must be a once in a lifetime thing, at least for them to witness as Sammy’s face was absolutely priceless at the moment. Susie stuttered a bit in response;

“I-I was recast for a… _special_ part, unfortunately. Thanks to aforementioned _Joey_ , I’m stuck a little less perfect than I used to be- But I’m learning to be more comfortable with it at least”

Clanking past Henry, Lacie leans a bit closer to Susie to get a better look at her face

“Aw well, ya ain’t any less pretty in my opinion- if anythin’, scars only make a person more unique! Shows ya lived life a little, tellin’ a story an’ all, ya know? Now; who is this Barley fella ya mentioned?”

Shaking her head from being flustered again, Susie was quick to pull over a rather reluctant Barley in front of herself

“ _This_ is Barley. He’s an excellent engineer and mechanic.”

Henry watches Barley look up nervously at Lacie as Susie smiles earnestly. Eyes glowing, Lacie leans over him curiously, her machinery clanking around

“Well wouldja lookit that? One of them butcher fellas, but less messed up… Can he talk?”

Barley quietly sputters, barely audible

“Y-yes, I can speak. I-I uh, can help, and…”

“ _WHAAAT?_ Speak up, little fella! I may be inna robot, but I ain’t any less hard of hearin’ thanks ta workin’ with machines! Don’t be shy now, I won’t bite; promise”

Barley, however, had practically shrunk down into a ball under Lacie’s outgoing personality. Sighing, Susie crouches down to comfort him

“Just take a deep breath Barley… you’re alright.”

Looking up to Lacie, Susie frowns a little

“Could you be a little more gentle with him? He’s easily overwhelmed, especially with too much noise or attention”

Huffing a laugh, Lacie sighs

“Alright, sorry ‘bout that little fella. You said you can help me?”

Slowly uncurling and getting back up, Barley nervously fiddles with a wrench in one of his pockets

“Uh, y-yes ma’am… If I get the right parts, I can make you a new arm- maybe one that’s even better, too.”

“Well, Barley, that’d be just dandy! Ya hear that, Tom?! I’m gonna get some upgrades while you’re stuck with that rusted ol’ junky arm!”

Tom gives a look of unamusement before Lacie looks down to Barley again

“Hey, ya know what? Yer voice sounds almost familiar… like I’ve heard it somewhere before. Pretty strange, huh?”

Barley blinks at that, looking curious now

“It is?...”

Susie raises an eyebrow at that, standing up again finally

“Maybe he’s someone you used to know? After all, my butcher gang aren’t your usual clones; they’re much more sentient.”

Nearby, several clones create a chorus of offended hisses and gargles making Susie grimace

“Sorry; I didn’t mean that you guys are any less intelligent, you’re just different is all”

Lacie laughs rather loudly, making Barley shrink away once more behind Susie 

“Ah, don’t worry ‘bout them scrappy fellas; they try anything, I’ll wallop ‘em like I did those other guys who didn’t wanna let me outta my back area in the warehouse!”

Henry takes a moment to picture that, remembering throwing cans to distract them having had no weapon on him. Thinking of them being assaulted by Lacie… he actually felt bad for them. She likely smashed them back into ink puddles.

Shaking his head, Henry turns to her

“Lacie, why don’t you go with Barley to get your arm fixed? Then we’ll see about getting Bertrum out of that ride.”

“Alright, sounds fine by me… Oh, an’ one more thing; after hatin’ Joey so much, I didn’t think the co-creator of this god awful studio would be anythin’ like you Henry.”

“...Oh?”

“Yeah! You’re all nice an’ calm, a real gentleman- unlike snake eyes Drew. Also, you’re real _cute_ compared to him!”

Flustering himself now, Henry nervously glances to the others who all had various smug looks, _especially_ Bendy, which only made him feel more uncomfortable

“O-oh, uh, thanks, I uh…”

Laughing, Lacie roughly pats Henry nearly knocking him over

“Aw, lookitcha now; all flustered an’ sputterin’. Some stoic hero, huh? Hah-ha, nah, I like ya the way ya are. An’ don’t worry; I already got my eyes on someone else anyhow”

Feeling very confused, Henry slumps his shoulders a bit

“Uh… that’s great. Yeah…uh?…”

Shaking her robotic head making the panels flap a bit, Lacie snickers to herself as she follows Barley away. Henry sighs, turning to Bendy who had quite the expression on him right now. Pointing at the little demon, Henry gives him a look right back 

“Don’t even start.”

“I didn’t say nothin’~”

“Bendy. I mean it.”

“I ain’t doin’ anythin’! Promise!”

Henry groans a bit, turning to the rest of the group

“Okay, well… that was something I wasn’t prepared for. Are there any other surprises I should know about, or people we’re missing?”

Sammy taps his chin at the question for a moment before getting a look of realization

“Oh! Yes, we’re missing someone- whatever happened to Jack Fain?? He used to hang around the music department with me, but he disappeared…”

Henry blinks, remembering dropping the crate on him… oops.

“Uh… I… may have had something to do with that…”

Sammy slowly raises a brow at him, clearly not liking Henry’s tone

“Henry… what did you do?”

“Well uh. You see, I… he had a pipe valve I needed, so I chased after him and… well, kinda dropped a crate on his head.”

“YOU _WHAT?!_ HENRY, HOW COULD YOU?! I THOUGHT YOU WERE BENEVOLENT!!”

“I USUALLY AM- I’M SORRY! I DIDN’T HAVE A CHOICE AT THE TIME!”

Before Sammy can yell at him more, Susie claps her hands together drawing both of their attention

“Oh yeah! Shawn Flynn, the toy man! I don’t know where he went, but he’s not here either. Neither is Grant, for that matter…”

Remembering the chilling audio of the accountant in his office, Henry grimaces

“Yeah… I actually don’t know what happened to either of them. Grant left a recording in his office, but it sounded… bad.”

Susie furrows her brow at him

“Bad?? As in what, exactly?”

“Well, screaming in agony, then gargling as he turned into an ink puddle. That’s what it sounded like, at least…”

The group became eerily quiet at that, many of the others looking drawn. Henry couldn’t blame them… it was horrific to picture. Sighing, Henry looks to Bendy

“I don’t know if we can go hunting for every missing person. How would we have the time, no less capability when Joey and the Ink demon are hunting for us? They could be lost in the ink, or hiding in some corner of the studio we can’t reach”

Tom walks over next to him then

“Not to mention, we still have the issue of too _many_ people to shove through the ink machine gateway in time. Even if we do find ‘em, how are we supposed to accommodate so many people?”

Henry sighs before Bendy slowly raises his hand

“Yes, Bendy?...”

“Okay, so this ain’t gonna sound the best, but what if we control an’ puppeteer them out?”

The room went silent again, many butcher gang clones and lost ones turning to stare at the mention. Out of context, it didn’t quite sound right… in fact, even with context it still sounded off. Henry furrows his brow a bit, thinking how he’s only going to get more wrinkles from how often he did it

“Bendy… can you elaborate so that sounds less awful, please?”

Bendy snorts before explaining

“I _mean_ we can use their souls ta get ‘em out of the machine! If Joey has tons of bits condensed in one thingy, then all ya have ta do is use it ta summon ‘em there, right? Kinda like how ya controlled Norman with his soul!”

Henry slowly looks to the groups of lost ones, who give him the same uniform typical sad expression they always wore. He had no idea what they were thinking, but Henry felt it was something about them being crazy.

“I mean… it’s _/an/_ idea, but it might not be the most _comfortable_ thing so to speak. Would that really ensure we get absolutely every last person out? And how exactly would we do it when Joey’s the one holding them?”

Bendy shrugs, rubbing his chin in thought

“I dunno, but remember when I expelled a bunch from Susie on accident? Maybe I can use the same technique, but reverse it so they _come_ ta me instead! I’d just need ta get that amulet from Joey- It’s like callin’ all the sheep home!”

Sammy’s head perked up at the mention, making Henry sigh and feel rather unsure; afterall, they were dabbling in something he was unfamiliar with that was also dangerous if done wrong.

“I mean, again, It’s an _idea_ , but we should consider alternatives and be really careful. There’s just so many things that can go wrong, and I don’t even know where to start addressing them.”

Tom cuts in then, still sounding doubtful

“Even if you managed to get everyone to the exit, we still have the issue of directing a ton of people out in the short time frame we’d have. How do we get them through without an outright panic or stampede?”

Bendy snorts, smirking

“That’s what testin’ is for! Maybe we can just kinda funnel them through with ink! We have tons of tunnels around, we could see if It’d work with smaller groups first, right?”

Edgar pipes up, looking uneasy

“Bendy, are you suggesting we use test subjects for something dangerous?? I thought we were trying to be _less_ like Drew, not follow in his footsteps!”

Bendy makes a ‘pfft’ sound waving a hand

“Aw c’mon, it wouldn’t be like Joey if the subjects volunteer themselves! Anybody willin’ ta risk themselves fer the greater good in some experiments involvin’ bein’ flushed with ink??”

The lost ones and butcher gang clones moved away from him some, making the demon hold up his arms

“Aw _c’mon!_ It’s not like It’d kill ya! Well… at least I don’t think so, heh-heh”

Henry shakes his head with a sigh

“Bendy, we’re _not_ testing on-”

“I’ll try it.”

Pausing, Henry turns to see one of the lost ones who had stepped forward. 

“I… you will? Aren’t you worried something bad could happen to you?”

“I mean, could it really be much worse than what we’re dealing with now? Besides… someone has to do it. I want to make sure we’re not left behind.”

Bendy hops off his chair, walking over and grinning

“See? This guy gets it! Worst case scenario, they’re just ink again; I doubt we’ll _really_ kill anyone”

Henry looks to the lost one again, still feeling unsure

“You’re not being pressured into this, right? I just want to make sure you fully understand what you’re offering yourself to do. I’m pretty sure Bendy’s going to be sending people careening off the walls in a flood.”

The lost one slowly looks back to the group of others, who were in various miserable states of shivering, before turning back to Henry

“Yeah, I think It’ll be alright. I mean, even death is better than this in my opinion… why not try and do something to help out? Could make a difference, and all”

Henry was not so encouraged by those words, but the lost one seemed adamant on his position

“Okay… if you say so. I promise I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe from his… antics.”

Slowly then, several more lost ones and even some butcher gang clones came forward

“Hey, I’ll help too if you need it”

“Yeah, I’m agreed on one thing; anything is better than this”

The crowd of volunteers was a surprise to Henry, but Bendy simply seemed pleased as he posed rather smugly

“See, Henry?? Volunteers! Now we can figure it out!”

“Part of me still has a very bad feeling about this…”

Edgar leans forward against the back of his chair he was sitting backwards in

“I concur with Henry.”

Henry turns to Bendy who still seemed rather cheery regardless

“What tunnel were you thinking of using exactly, and how dangerous is this going to be?”

“Wellll, last time I sent ink down a tunnel was carryin’ those lost ones to the city way under, but that area was all compromised by the _stink_ demon.”

“I don’t think It’s a good idea going back where the Ink demon would find us, either. Is there any other options?”

Bendy shrugs, tapping his chin a bit in thought. Edgar looks up at Henry, frowning

“Perhaps the butcher gang clones have some place? They do a lot of digging afterall...”

Tom cuts in yet again, sound grouchier still somehow

“This is completely ridiculous, I hope you know. In fact, it sounds downright stupid.”

Bendy scoffs, putting his hands on his hips

“Yeah?? Well, I don’t see ya comin’ up with a better plan ta get everyone out!”

“It’s still dumb.”

Bendy rolls his eyes before looking to Henry

“You didn’t have any ideas either, yeah??”

“I meant, not really… I don’t know anyone else who would have either. None of us really understand this place that well, besides Joey...”

Slowly, Bendy gets a look on his face that was not reassuring

“Well, there is _one_ thing we could do…”

“I don’t like the way you’re saying that.”

“There’s someone we can ask about it”

“Are you suggesting we talk to Joey??”

“What? No way! I’d rather listen ta glass scrapin’ on a chalkboard! I’m talkin’ ‘bout the other guy who seems ta know as much as Joey”

Henry furrows his brow, trying to think of who Bendy was suggesting before giving him another look

“Bendy… you don’t mean the Ink demon, do you?”

“Hey, the guy knows a lot! Plus he said he’d help; I’ll tell him It’s a condition fer us to help him!”

Edgar nearly knocks his chair over in exasperation

“You intend to _blackmail_ the Ink demon?! Have you lost all sense of self-preservation?!”

Bendy laughs a bit, but Henry was in agreement with the striker; that seemed like a terrible idea only second to physically fighting him instead. Edgar seemed distressed as he continues;

“Bendy, please; this is no laughing matter! Why do you think he would even help?? Also would you not risk luring him to us?”

At that, many of the others around became visibly uncomfortable. Bendy sighs then, putting his hands on his hips

“Well I ain’t gonna do it _here_. The idea I had was someone takes me away while I contact him, get the answers we need, then run away before he finds us!”

Henry groans, moving to sit down again

“This sounds really dangerous, and like a bad idea…”

“Hey, unless ya have a better idea than the ink funnel…”

“That’s the problem. I don’t.”

“Well, then it looks like someone’s gonna have ta watch me while I do my thing!”

Edgar looked antsy at that, turning to Henry

“Please, can we try something else?”

“As much as I’d like to, we don’t really have a ‘something else’ to try.”

Nearby, Sammy scoffs leaning his chair back so it was balanced on two legs with his own propped up

“What about the rest of us? What’re we supposed to do while you’re getting yourself nearly killed by the Ink demon?”

Henry rolls his eyes before turning to face the rest of their group

“We’re not going to get killed; I’ll make sure of that. And I actually have some ideas for that.”

Rocking his chair a bit, Sammy crosses his arms

“Oh? Enlighten us, then”

“I’m going to take Bendy out of here so the Ink demon doesn’t find where we’re hiding. While we’re off doing that, I want a team of you guys to take Lacie to get Bertrum’s head; the amusement park storage isn’t far from here, afterall. Then, I want another group to see if you can find anyone that’s missing, if possible. Sound good?”

Sammy shrugs a bit

“Fine with me, so long as you don’t expect me to help carry Bertrum’s head. I’m still not over the whole ink jar carrying job…”

Accidentally pushing his chair back too far, Sammy flails his arms as it starts to fall before Norman catches it for him. The projectionist nods at him then;

“Yeah, we know; ya never stop complainin’ about doing any kind of manual labor.”

“Well I’m a _musician_ , not a weightlifter! I don’t exactly have the strength for it!”

“I can tell by the way you never exercise, flat-butt. Also that’s a blatant lie; yer arms are plenty strong from haulin’ heavy instruments”

Puffing, Sammy kicks his legs a bit while Norman snickers at him

“MY BUTT IS _NOT_ FLAT! And how would you know anyways, mr.wandering eyes?!”

Susie snickers herself before adding

“More like mr.wandering hands-”

“ENOUGH.”

Shaking his head, Henry grins with some amusement. Allison finally speaks up then, turning to him

“Henry, I think your plan Isn’t a bad idea; we can split up amongst ourselves and accomplish several things at once, but are you really going alone with Bendy?”

Edgar sits up in his chair, adding on

“Can’t I come with you? I could help make it safer!”

Bendy snorts, pointing at the striker’s leg

“I don’t think so. Ya need ta stay here an’ keep yerself safe! ‘Sides, the more people who come, the higher chance we’ll be found by the Ink demon.”

Edgar deflates a bit at that, seeming disappointed 

“I just want to help ensure your return. You have a knack for either finding or creating danger, after all...”

Bendy rolls his eyes a little before he walks over and roughly hugs the striker, who grunts. Grinning again, Bendy squeezes him

“Aww, ya don’t gotta worry ‘bout me so much!! I can handle it; ya know that!”

Sighing, Edgar slumps a bit

“I know… I suppose I just-”

“What? Like bein’ ‘round me or somethin’? Ya got some kinda crush on me?”

Immediately, Edgar flustered before sputtering a bit and flailing in Bendy’s grasp as the demon cackled maniacally at him

“W-WHAT IN HEAVENS GAVE YOU SUCH A NOTION AS THAT?! I-I SIMPLY CARE AS YOUR FRIEND AND-”

“Jee-eeze Ed, calm down! I’m just messin’ with ya! With a reaction like that, it almost seems like ya do!”

Pausing, the striker grimaces while Bendy continues to snicker. Henry purses his lips, trying not to laugh himself; Bendy truly _was_ that oblivious, apparently. The others seemed to think the same by the looks on their faces. 

Taking hold of Bendy, Henry lifts him away from the embarrassed striker

“Alright, that’s enough… Bendy’s right though; the less who come with us, the better. We don’t want to lure the Ink demon’s attention, sorry Edgar”

Wheezing a bit, the striker shakes his head

“I-I suppose it may be for the best… I wish my broken leg would heal faster, though. Despite regular treatments from Alice, it still feels too slow.”

It seemed to be Charley’s turn to bother him now as the piper roughly yanked poor Edgar into a one armed side hug, loudly guffawing

“Ain’tcha a spider?? Why not just pull it off an’ grow a new one? ha-HAH!”

“I’m _not_ just a spider! Also spiders do _not_ grow their legs back!”

Bendy shrugs in Henry’s arms, smiling down on them

“Don’t know until ya try!”

“ _Bendy-_ ”

“Just messin’! We’ll be back before ya know it, ‘kay Ed?”

Looking like he was going to protest the nickname, the striker slowly deflates with a sigh

“...alright. Stay safe. You too, Henry.”

Henry smiles, readjusting Bendy in his arms a bit

“Thanks, You too. All of you”

Watching the others start to discuss who would go with what group, Henry started to make his way out of the butcher gang clone warehouse. He could tell Edgar was watching them leave, and apparently so could Bendy as he speaks up looking over Henry’s shoulder

“Why do ya think Ed is always fussin’ so much over me? Either Charley an’ Barley make terrible company so I’m his only good friend, or he’s really worried I’m gonna die...”

Henry blinks, smiling a little then

“He just cares a lot. For someone who used to be cold and grouchy, I think you’ve changed him to be a little more open. Like everyone else, we’ve all got some kind of unique bonds with one another… I think you and him have one too from what I’ve heard.”

Bendy slumps against Henry’s shoulder, seeming to mull it over; that’s when he accidentally hears some of the demon’s thoughts about shared moments with Edgar he had. Something about comforting him in a dark hall, and adventuring on their own to find Allison and Tom. It makes Henry smile more, patting the little demon on the back

“Wouldn’t you be just as worried about him too?”

Blinking, Bendy sits up a bit in his grasp

“Well, yeah! He’s my friend, an’ we’ve had a lotta adventures together!”

“Then wouldn’t it be reasonable he’s so worried?”

“Hmm… yeah, I guess yer right.”

“You sound a little disappointed… something wrong?”

“Huh? Nah, not really. I was just thinkin’ if he really _did_ have a crush or somethin’... do ya think he _could?_ ”

Trying hard not to give anything away, Henry kept a calm poker face as he answered

“Well, who knows. I think there’s a reasonable chance he could, but you’d have to get confirmation from him- not me.”

“Ya really think so?”

“I do, more than you’d think”

Smiling now, Bendy slumps on Henry’s shoulder again as they continued out of the clone factory. Henry raises an eyebrow, grinning a little

“Feeling better now?”

“Yeah, I do. So… where are we headin’?”

“Somewhere far enough we won’t endanger the others, but close enough we won’t be in danger either. I was thinking maybe Susie’s old lair, if we can find a way up…”

“Hey, say no more!”

Holding out his hands, Bendy suddenly opened an ink portal under Henry’s feet startling him. As everything fell away from beneath them, he felt weightless butterflies in his stomach before they landed in front of the door to Susie’s lair. Wheezing a bit, Henry looks to Bendy

“Maybe a little more warning next time, please??”

Laughing, Bendy pokes Henry in the forehead

“An’ miss out on the looks ya make?? No way!”

Sighing, Henry shakes his head grinning despite it

“Okay, you cheeky demon… let’s see if we can play telephone with the _other_ demon…”

Henry hoped that the others would be alright while they were away, but he was sure they could handle things on their own. Afterall, they’d spent all this time without him- they didn’t necessarily need him now. Though, Joey’s presence might change that a bit… but Henry pushes the thought away, not wanting to worry himself too much. They’d be fine, and they’d figure things out; they were all going to get out, one way or another.

He just hoped that it would be in one piece.


	53. Unamusement Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Left with the task of figuring out how to rescue Bertrum, Sammy and co must enter his amusement park area and find a way to remove him from the massive contraption. However, upon reaching the ride the inactive Bertrum attacks without mercy upon an accidental awakening. Rushing to help his injured partner, Sammy can't help but think about how much he loathes amusement parks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mild violence, injury, horror description, mild body horror
> 
> Notes: Sorry to leave on a 'cliff hanger' sort of- I meant to include the next chapter but got too sick to edit it in time. I promise it'll be worth the wait though, don't worry!

* * *

Sighing, Sammy was currently very reluctantly following the group that was sent to get Bertrum. He’d stated repeatedly he wouldn’t be doing any heavy lifting at least, but he also wanted to look for Jack Fain instead. Unfortunately, Lacie had simply told him to ‘shut it’ and dragged him along regardless. Now, He, Norman, and Barley were following her into Bendy Land’s storage to fetch the old amusement park architect. 

Personally, Sammy didn’t have any major issues with Bertrum, but he didn’t like the idea of a living amusement park ride. In fact, it downright terrified him because he already hated most amusement park rides without them being  _ alive _ . Coming up to the doors leading to it, Barley started trying to hot-wire them open so they wouldn’t have to do Henry’s apparent usual tasks just to get in. 

Crossing his arms, Sammy sighs while looking to Lacie; her robot body had been outfitted with not one, but  _ two  _ brand new arms that looked dangerously powerful. They were almost shiny new, and looked engineered to easily punch a hole through a metal blast door.

Speaking of which, Lacie stepped forward then

“Alright fella, move it; I got a better idea that’ll save us time.”

Barley blinks, quickly reeling away from the door as Lacie raised one arm. With a swift swing, she bashed it open as if it had been made of cardboard, the metal halves flying off into oblivion. Dusting her palms, she turns to Sammy

“After you, prissy pants”

“I am  _ not _ prissy- you’re simply barbaric compared to me”

Lacie snorts at him, putting her hands on her hips

“Really? Want me to show you how ‘barbaric’ I can be, then?”

Holding up his hands, Sammy quickly walked into the room. Norman snorts now, following after him

“Wise choice, prissy pants”

“Oh don’t you start too.”

“Ya know I tease out of love”

Flustering a bit, Sammy sighed and let it drop; he never could stay mad at him, not that he was actually all that upset anyways. Half the time he mostly just liked being dramatic for the fun of it.

Passing a disturbing butcher clone corpse, Sammy made a face before walking into the room with a large inactive ride indeed. It was impressively large for being inside the studio, and somehow in one piece. Frankly though, Sammy wished it wasn’t; he didn’t want to see what would happen when they turned it on,  _ if _ it even turned on anymore. Lacie waltzed right past him however, confidently going right on up to its central part and knocking on it loudly

“Alright Bertie, rise an’ shine! I know yer in there!”

Despite her efforts, the machine lay unmoving making Sammy feel somewhat relieved.

“Honestly, do we  _ have _ to turn it on?... maybe we can just pry him out or something”

Barley walks up next to him, frowning

“We might hurt him if we do that…”

Norman looks over to Sammy curiously

“You seem pretty nervous. What’s up with you?”

Sammy puffs, crossing his arms while Lacie continues knocking on the machine

“Nothing is ‘up’ with me. I just think you guys aren’t nearly as concerned about a living amusement park ride as you should be!”

Lacie turns to him, calling over

“We ain’t a buncha scaredy wusses like you, Lawrence. I think what ya really need is a good dose of adrenaline to help lighten up some”

“I absolutely do NOT need that, thank you!”

Behind him, Sammy hears a click as a voice recording of Bertrum starts to play. Raising an eyebrow, he turns around to see Norman had turned on an audio recording left on a nearby work table

“ _ The biggest park ever built, a centerfold of attractions. Each one, more grand than the one before it… _ ”

Lacie walks over then, looking down at the tape recorder

“Huh… convenient how that’s kind of sitting here, don’tcha think?”

“ _ It makes my eyes come to tears at the thought. But then... oh, Mister Drew. For all your talk of dreams… _ ”

Sammy shakes his head, holding up his hands, starting to back away

“Nope. Thanks to you saying that, I want nothing to do with it, or this machine! I’m standing in the corner FAR away from it.”

“... _ you are the true architect behind so many nightmares. I built this park. It was to be a masterpiece! /My/ masterpiece! _ ”

Norman grabs him by the shoulder, pulling him back over

“Oh no you don’t. You’re not sitting back while the rest of us figure this out”

“ _ And now you think you can just throw me out? Trample me to the dust and forget me? No! _ ”

Struggling a bit, Sammy shoves his hand off

“Norman, I don’t want to be anywhere near this thing! What if he tries to kill us?? He sounds really mad in the audio already!”

“It’s just some leftover message, you’ll be fine Sammy”

“ _ No! This is my park! My glory! You may think I've gone… _ ”

“Overreacting?? You  _ are _ listening to this, right?”

Lacie snorts, crossing her arms at him

“What’s the matter, scared of amusement rides and ghosts? Bertie’s woken up just fine before and done nothin’ ta hurt us.”

“Frankly,  _ yes _ , yes I am! And I would appreciate you not antagonizing me over it! And if he has before, why not now??”

“ _ But I'm! still! here! _ ”

Suddenly, as the tape clicked off, ominous music started playing from speakers around the room. Raising an eyebrow, Sammy looks around before turning to Norman

“Okay, I want out!! RIGHT now! This is NOT funny, you hear me?!”

Barley quietly began to mumble between their conversation as they argued

“guys?...”

“Sammy, calm down, It’s just some music. Nothin’s happenin’”

“I WILL NOT CALM DOWN! I DON’T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS”

“Guys?”

Lacie gently shakes him by his shoulder 

“Lawrence, get a hold of yourself! Yer not dyin’, It’s fine!”

“BUT I MIGHT! If that machine so much as MOVES I swear to every single god-”

“GUYS!”

Having had to shout for once, Barley finally got the attention of the other three. The fisher looked very antsy, which did not comfort Sammy.

“What??”

Barley pointed, turning their attention to the machine which was steaming and beginning to turn on. Its arms lit up all over before lifting suddenly, the force making them swing a bit with the effort. Grasping Norman’s arm, Sammy refused to take his eyes off the machine   
  


“I TOLD YOU IF IT MOVES!! I TOLD YOU! IT MOVED, NORMAN, IT’S MOVING-”

“Sammy, just focus on me; It’s just turnin’ on, an’ not gonna hurt ya. I’m right here to make sure of it-”

With a loud clank, the hatches on its center sprang open revealing a rather twisted version of Betrum’s face. When Lacie had said he looked worse for wear, Sammy hadn’t imagined it would be anything like  _ this _ . Trying to pull himself from Norman’s grasp, Sammy couldn’t feel anything but panic as the machine’s arms began spinning around slowly

“NORMANNN GET ME AWAY FROM HIM RIGHT NOW!!!”

Lacie sighs, turning to him

“Oh, fer the love of- will ya quit screamin’ like a baby?? All he’s doin’ is spinnin’ around some! He ain’t gonna hurt us, ‘cause he hasn’t before an’-”

“LOOK OUT!”

From Barley’s shout, all four of them suddenly threw themselves out of the way as one of the machine’s arms slammed into the desk the recorder had been on, throwing debris in every direction. Shrieking, Sammy scrambled up trying to bolt for the exit only to find that a second emergency pair of blast doors had shut over it. Running up to them, he bangs on them desperately

“LET ME OUUUUT LET ME OUT LET ME OUT! I DON’T WANT TO DIE FROM AN AMUSEMENT RIIIIDE!”

Norman chases after him, grabbing and pulling him away from the doors. Sammy struggles in his grasp however, kicking his legs when the projectionist lifts him from the floor

“SAMMY, STOP; YER GONNA HURT YOURSELF! HE CAN’T EVEN REACH YA OVER HERE!”

Kicking his legs still, Sammy could see Lacie and Barley trying to figure out what to do about the murderous amusement ride. In the process however, Lacie was slammed by one of the spinning cars sending her flying. Shrieking again, Sammy starts to panic more

“NORMAN HE’S GOING TO  _ KILL _ US!! I DON’T WANT TO DIE LIKE THIS, I’D RATHER LET THE DEMON EAT ME ALIVE!!!”

Setting him down again, Norman forces Sammy to sit down in a corner near the exit a decent distance from the death-trap of a ride. Holding him firmly by his shoulders, he speaks in a more soothing manner

“Sammy,  _ listen _ to me, okay? Bertrum can’t reach your over here, and we’re  _ not _ gonna die. I understand you’re scared, but you’re alright! Right now I think he’s got us confused fer Joey, so we just gotta convince him to calm down some, okay?”

Whimpering a bit, Sammy briefly glances at the high-speed spinning cars before closing his eyes tightly

“mmMMM I STILL DON’T LIKE IT! Ever since that STUPID fair when I was a kid I’ve hated these things!! Just hurry up and do something!!”

“Will you be alright sitting over here?”

“As long as I don’t look at it, I will be!”

“Alright, just keep yer eyes closed an’ wait here then; I’ll be back”

Norman briefly gave him a tight hug before hurrying over to help the other two. Keeping his eyes closed, Sammy could hear them shouting and trying to get Bertrum to stop fighting them, but it seemed nothing was working. He had  _ not _ signed up for this, nor wanted anything to do with it! Focusing on trying to calm himself, Sammy could hear Norman talking to Lacie before Lacie shouts loudly

“BERTIE YA METAL BASTARD, STOP TRYIN’ TA KILL ME OR I’M GONNA KICK YER ASS!”

Her shouting was quickly followed by a loud metal slamming noise Sammy could only assume was her getting whacked by more spinning carts. Either that, or she’d actually kicked him in his ass; considering he lacked one at the moment though, it was unlikely. 

Risking peeking his eyes open, Sammy found Norman was struggling to pull Lacie out of some crates while Barley was desperately avoiding the spinning arms as he tried to hack into the machine’s center panels. With loud clattering, Norman freed Lacie only for the momentum of it to send him stumbling backwards… right into range of the machine. Feeling cold fear grip him, Sammy almost shrieked again

“NORMAN, LOOK OUT!”

Looking up, the projectionist unfortunately couldn’t react in time; with a resounding slam, one of the spinning arms threw him to a wall before he hit the floor. Trying not to scream, Sammy suddenly forgot his other fear entirely to go bolting to Norman’s side.

Kneeling by him, Sammy lifted his battered projector head that had cracked on the side, his light flickering even more than before as if threatening to burn out.

“NORMAN!! NORMAN, CAN YOU HEAR ME?! DON’T YOU GIVE UP ON ME, DAMN IT! NORMAN!”

Placing his ear on Norman’s chest, he tried to listen for a heartbeat despite not being sure any of them really had one anymore- and to his surprise and relief, he could hear one inside his partner still beating strongly. Wiping his eyes quickly, Sammy gently cradled the projectionist’s damaged head

“Norman, you’re going to be okay, got it?! I-I told you we shouldn’t mess with this thing, oh  _ god _ \- Norman, please, can you hear me??”

Hearing a static-y cough buzz from the projectionist’s speaker, Sammy eagerly tried to sit him upright now. Groaning, Norman shakes his head a bit, but his lens was still flickering on and off

“D-Damn… he hits pretty hard, huh?...”

“Norman, are you okay?! Your projector is cracked!”

Moving a hand over the side of his head, Norman seemed slow and groggy

“Kinda hard ta see... like my eyes are turnin’ on and off...”

Sammy sniffs, hugging him tightly making the projectionist grunt. Slowly, he was hugged back, but he could tell he was passing out again

“Hey now… no more cryin’, alright? I’ll be fine... just gotta... knock some sense into him...”

“I-I’m not crying! J-Just... stay here, okay? I’ll be back- Promise”

Gently resting Norman in a safe place against the wall, Sammy turned to glare at Bertrum who was still giving Lacie and Barley trouble. Standing up tall, he prepared to show just how angry he was- despite the fact he was  _ definitely _ shaking with fear still.

“BERTRUM! YOU LISTEN TO ME, YOU PRICK-”

The moment a car flew past him however, he lost his composure stumbling far away to the wall again. Taking a deep breath, Sammy waits until the arms stop spinning before he chances running over

“Regret regret  _ regret-  _ BERTRUM! STOP TRYING TO KILL US! WE’RE NOT JOEY, AND YOU’RE ACTING LIKE AN  _ /ASS/!! _ ”

The head in the center of the machine turned to stare at Sammy, unnerving him a bit. At first his expression looked blank and not unlike a gold-fish until it turned surprisingly angry. Swallowing, Sammy definitely felt the regret settling in.

“U-uh, but I mean, I’d really appreciate you not hurting me and-”

Lacie shouts from across the room over all the noise somehow;

“SAMMY, GET OUTTA THE WAY!”

Running, Sammy thinks how they were all just taking turns shouting those words at one another right now. Glancing to the side, he realized he wasn’t going to get out of the way in time, so he decided to do the most logical thing one could perhaps do with an amusement ride hurtling towards them…

He jumped.

Slamming rather ungracefully into one of the carts, Sammy sputtered trying to unjumble his own limbs as he was spun around vigorously and rather unpleasantly. Sitting up, he gasped and gripped hard as he could onto the cart in terror. The more he swung around and spun, the more his mind reeled to the unfortunate experience he had at the fair a long time ago.

“aaaaAAAAAAAAH GET ME OFF THIS THIIIING!!!”

Shrieking as the arm he was riding on lifted straight into the air, he winced as it crashed to the floor with him in it. Unfortunately, now he was stuck holding onto the car for dear life until it moved again. Slowly, it started to lift again, but oddly didn’t move much further; sitting up once more, Sammy looked around wildly before catching sight of Lacie holding the entire arm by his cart.

“Lawrence, if ya wanna live, get the  _ hell _ off the ride!!”

Not hesitating, he gladly jumped free of the terrible ride before rushing out of the way. Turning to watch, he witnesses Lacie pull the arm harder keeping the entire machine from rotating anymore

“BERTRUM, IF YA DON’T QUIT IT RIGHT NOW, I’M TEARIN’ ALL YER ARMS OFF MYSELF!”

The machine struggled and hissed with steam as the mechanics pushed against her grasp, but by some incredible miracle, she was holding fast. Whatever engineering Barley had given her, it was impressive to say the least. The longer she fought with it however, the more her force was starting to slide out from under her as the arm pushed. Just as it looked like she would lose it entirely, the machine sparked and went completely dim, clattering powerlessly to the floor around them.

Surprised, Sammy dared to move closer now

“W-what happened?? Is he dead?”

From the center of the machine, Barley sighed in relief wiping his brow

“No. I reset him… hopefully when he comes back online he’ll be more reasonable.”

Dropping the arm she was holding, Lacie grunts angrily before walking to the center, waiting with her hands on her hips.

“This  _ better _ work, ‘cause I’m gettin’ tired of wranglin’ a death machine! An’ I thought the ink machine was bad enough…”

Slowly, the amusement ride regained power; this time however, the music didn’t play and the head in the center seems to shake itself off. Blinking now, it turned to look down on Lacie with confusion. To Sammy’s relief, Bertrum’s voice played over the speakers now instead

“What in god’s name?... Is my creation actually  _ alive? _ ”

Scoffing, Lacie clanks her face plates at him

“C’mon Bertie, ya goin’ senile already? Don’tcha remember I inhabited this thing?”

Looking surprised for a moment then irritated, Bertrum scoffs back

“Don’t call me by that  _ terrible _ nickname! And It’s not my fault; someone tampered with my system, so I got confused!”

“Yeah, that’s fer sure; ya nearly killed all ‘a us!”

“I did? Oh, dear, not again… I swear, everytime someone manages to accidentally turn on kill mode! It’s meant for Joey- not  _ you _ lot, or that other guy...”

Sammy approaches him, feeling incredibly uncharitable considering the state of Norman

“Listen here,  _ tin can _ \- you hurt my boyfriend, AND terrorized all of us! So you better be grateful we even came back to save your sorry ass!”

Eyeing Sammy, Bertrum seemed rather displeased with his words, but he also looked confused

“Save me? What on Earth could you  _ possibly  _ mean by that, besides a swift and merciful death?”

Lacie sighs, stopping Sammy before he can throw more insults;

“We’re here to bring ya with us outta this damned place. We’re leavin’ the studio, and yer comin’ with us”

“Leave? The studio? Is that even  _ remotely  _ possible?”

“It is now, thanks ta Henry Stein”

“I’m afraid that name means nothing to me. Besides; how do you even plan on moving me?”

Sammy got a smug look at that 

“Oh, you know… ripping your head off and taking it with us.”

Steaming and puffing in response, Bertrum practically shouted

“WHAT?! Absolutely  _ not! _ That is barbaric, and you’d damage my creation!”

Lacie sighs, shaking her head at him

“Wouldja rather be left here alone to rot in this place with Joey?? ‘Sides, we don’t know if this is really  _ real _ anymore- this could be fake ink copy of yer creation!”

Pouting and conflicted, Bertrum seemed to contemplate the given choices. Sammy didn’t stick around to watch him decide however, hurrying back over to Norman instead; he could still hear the others talking however as he did

“...So when we leave this place, what exactly do you plan to do with me? I’m stuck with an amusement ride for my body!”

“I dunno, but we’ll figure it out! I don’t plan on staying in this body either, ya know. So do ya wanna come with us, or be left behind?”

Sighing, Bertrum grouchily spun all his carts in unison briefly before looking over towards Sammy and Norman, frowning.

“...I suppose I would rather you take me with you. Are they alright, though?”

Lacie and Barley turned to look over too now as Sammy was cradling Norman again. The projectionist was still unconscious, and felt heavy in his arms; he was miraculously still alive somehow. Sammy couldn’t imagine the crack in his projector head was a simple fix though, especially considering it could be relative to breaking one’s skull. They’d have to get him medical attention- if that was possible for a man whose head was an inanimate object.

Struggling to try and lift up Norman, Sammy grunts and looks over to the others who were watching him

“W-Well?! Is anyone going to help me, or are you just going to stand there?!”

Sighing, Lacie walks over and helps lift up Norman, but she sounded like she would be frowning if she could

“Sammy, I can’t carry him  _ and _ Bertrum. We’re gonna have to figure this out, or wait until he wakes up”

“Then I say we take Norman back and get Bertrum later!”

Lacie stops walking then, forcing Sammy to stop too

“We came here and went though all that just to  _ get _ ta him. I ain’t leavin’ without him!”

Huffing, Sammy looks to her past Norman

“Well we can’t just haul a giant head with us! Don’t you think ripping his head off is a bad idea, anyways??”

Bertrum adds on then, his ride steaming again

“I’m afraid I’m in agreement with him on that.”

Barley sighs, looking up at him

“Well, without another body to inhabit, I don’t see how we’ll move you…”

“There  _ is _ one thing…”

Lacie snorts, looking up at him too now

“Yeah? What?”

“You see, while I was working on my Bendy animatronic, I was  _ also _ working on-”

“Bertrum, if ya tell me there’s another freakish robot like this one, I’m out.”

“...well not  _ exactly _ like that one-”

“I’m out.”

Letting go of Norman, she holds up her arms as Sammy struggles to hold him up alone now

“LACIE!”

“Look, ONE robot is bad enough! But  _ two?? _ ”

Quickly setting Norman down again, Sammy sighs loudly

“NOW who’s the one being a baby?! Just tell us where it is, Bertrum”

Rotating his arms a little, Bertrum looks down on them

“It should’ve been stored in a box nearby Bendy’s robot. It’s not complete in the slightest, but It’ll at least  _ move _ ; It’s a far better alternative to… decapitation.”

Sighing very loudly and dramatically herself, Lacie slumps

“Fine. I’ll go get it… but if it moves before you’re in it, I’m breaking it.”

Walking off, Sammy could hear her punch the second set of blast doors away on the way out. Blinking, he sighs and looks to Barley with a frown

“While Lacie transfers and gets Bertrum out of here, can you help me bring Norman back? He needs medical help”

Barley glances up at Bertrum frowning a little

“Will you be alright waiting for her?...”

“I’ll be fine. You can go ahead; I would hate for your friend to die on accident from my machine…”

Sammy scoffs a bit, muttering to himself

“Yeah, ‘accident’,  _ sure... _ ”

“What was that?”

“Nothing. We’re leaving, and if you and Lacie aren’t back later, then we’ll probably come back.”

“Very well. Good luck”

Struggling to lift him up once more, Sammy thankfully now had help from Barley who was lifting Norman’s legs. Working together, they carried him away heading back for the butcher gang warehouse. Hopefully they’d be able to repair his head and Alice angel could heal any wounds he’d sustained. Hopefully.

-

Having made their way back slowly but safely, Sammy was now worrying over Norman as the others seemed perplexed about what to do. It was one thing to treat the wounds done to someone’s body, but an inanimate object? That part made things a little more difficult.

Sammy had suggested taping the crack, but Barley had simply sighed and shaken his head. None of them were experts on projectors, nor fixing them. Though Barley and Tom were excellent engineers, the former wasn’t sure when it came to a living machine and the latter wasn’t currently present. Alice angel had tried to fix it with her magic, but to no avail; at the least, the rest of Norman was doing fine according to her. Unfortunately though, no matter what they were trying, Norman simply wasn’t waking up. Sammy had a strong feeling it had to do with the crack in his projector.

“Damn it all… why did his head have to be made out of a fragile machine?? What if we never figure this out! What if he never wakes up?!”

Alice angel frowns, putting a hand on his shoulder

“Don’t say those things... you have to keep calm and believe he’ll be okay; It’s only going to stress you out if you think of all the ‘what-if’s”

Sighing heavily, Sammy sunk next to the cot they had Norman mostly laying on; his body was a bit long for it due to the added height of the projector with his already ridiculously long legs. As a result, they were hanging off to prioritize his damaged head which was on a pillow. Whether it made a difference, Sammy wasn’t really sure; the whole object-head thing was a mystery to him.

Gently brushing over the crack with his fingers, Sammy laid his head against Norman’s chest pouting

“Of course he got hurt trying to help his friends… of  _ course _ it had to be something I couldn’t protect him from! This whole studio is just a nightmare...”

Alice gently touches his shoulder again while Barley came closer, looking over the projectionist

“Hmm… maybe there’s something else wrong with him?”

“Like what? We healed his wounds, so unless he has a concussion or got put in a coma, I’m sure It’s the cracked projector”

“I meant something else wrong with his projector. The case is meant to protect the internals, which are what’s really important… a cracked case shouldn’t be an issue, but if wires or something else got damaged, it could be causing issues”

Sammy blinks, sitting up a bit to look at Barley

“But how would you check that? The projector is connected to his head- I mean, it  _ is _ his head! We can’t just pull it apart, right??”

“I mean… he’s unconscious, so maybe I can open it up carefully and look inside?”

Sammy stares for a moment before scoffing loudly

“That’s practically a lobotomy!!”

Barley shrugs, looking a bit unsure

“I mean, I suppose? But if something’s broken inside it needs to be fixed…”

Frowning more, Sammy looks to Norman before Alice speaks

“Sammy, he’ll be okay. Barley knows what he’s doing- I’m sure of it! Besides, It’s the best shot Norman has I’d think”

Sighing again, Sammy looks down, holding one of Norman’s hands

“I know… I’m just… worried. I don’t want something to go wrong… but if we don’t do something…”

Barley examines Norman’s cracked panel a bit closer, pulling on part of it

“...Actually, we don’t have to completely pull it apart. The side panel is removable, probably for maintenance purposes.”

Sammy groans, pulling his hands down his face

“Great… good to know my boyfriend’s skull conveniently opens up…”

Alice, trying to sound cheery adds;

“At least you don’t have to drill it open like a human skull!”

Sammy grimaces at that, looking to her with a disturbed expression. Alice blinks before slowly making a face back

“Oh… that sounded better in my head. Sorry…”

Barley whistled then, causing several other butcher gang clones to come waddling over with a bright stage lamp for better light. Squinting a bit, Sammy began moving away to give the fisher room as he started removing the panel. Despite the danger of it and his worries, Sammy was actually very curious to see inside of Norman’s head… he was always curious how it worked, being a projector and all.

However, the truth was far from what he’d been hoping; in fact, he regretted looking at all, feeling a bit nauseated.

Inside the projector was no face, or even a head like Sammy had been hoping for; instead, there was a throbbing mass of ink he assumed was probably a brain. All over, wires wrapped in and out of the ink mass, connecting it to the rest of the projector and the panel Barley had set safely aside. From what Sammy could tell with a brief glance, all the electronic parts including gears and such were buried  _ inside _ Norman’s brain. Overall, he found the entire thing to be sickening and disturbing.

Having turned away, Sammy wheezes holding his head

“H-How’re you supposed to fix anything w-when It’s inside his- his- his  _ brain?! _ Oh my  _ god _ , he has no  _ head! _ The projector literally  _ is  _ his head!”

Sammy couldn’t see Barley’s face because he was refusing to look, but the fisher sounded surprisingly calm and unfazed 

“I’ll just have to be careful. It’s ink, after all… I think as long as I don’t rip anything or spill the ink, I can work inside it.”

Trying not to gag, Sammy shivers

“Y-y-you’re shoving your hands  _ in his brain?! _ Barley, I WILL scream.”

“Well, you probably shouldn’t stick around then…”

“But I want to make sure he’s okay!”

“Uh… I don’t really know what to tell you then?”

Alice angel, who had also turned away in horror gently takes Sammy by his arm pulling him to his feet

“W-why don’t we just wait nearby? If something goes wrong, Barley can call for us”

Sammy frowns, but figures it may be for the best… the last thing they needed was two people unconscious because he fainted.

“Okay… alright. Let’s uh… let’s just wait around the corner, yeah.”


	54. Several Gears Loose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Norman's recovery from his unfortunate accident, Sammy is met back up with the others with their results of the search for their missing co-workers and friends. Upon their return however he receives a humorous surprise in the air. As they plan what to do next however, they realize someone is missing...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none
> 
> Notes: This is a BIG update this time with five chapters and LOTS of art! I'm pushing to try and get this all finished so we'll see how far I get with the next update! There's a lot that's going to be happening real fast so buckle up and enjoy the ride! :) There are five whole drawings this time (ow my hand...) where only chapter 55 doesn't have art in it; I've also come up with a fun idea for when I finish my fic, so stay tuned until then to learn about it :D enjoy!

* * *

After what felt like hours has passed, Sammy was starting to feel a bit restless as he waited. To be honest though, he wasn’t sure how much time had passed seeing as there weren’t any clocks that actually had an accurate reading of the time anymore. The dancing Bendy clocks didn’t exactly have an equal calibration, so they were always showing different times at different speeds. The lack of chronology in the studio was just another thing Sammy direly despised about it.

Tapping his foot, Sammy was currently sitting in a chair with his arms crossed, still waiting with Alice angel who had made herself busy singing and combing her hair; how she was still entertained by it now, he had no idea. Additionally, he had no idea where Lacie was with Bertrum- he thought the two would’ve returned by now. Hopefully they hadn’t gotten into trouble in their absence…

Before he could ponder it longer however, a butcher gang clone came hobbling over to them; it was a striker with far too many limbs all over. Grimacing a little at it, Sammy sat up before asking;

“Do you have news? Did something go wrong? Is he okay?”

Garbbling at him nonsensically, Alice gets up with a look of realization

“Oh! I think he wants us to follow him”

The striker nods in confirmation, so Sammy gets up as well with a sigh

“It’s about time. Let’s hurry, then”

Hobbling away once more, the striker lead them back over to where they’d left Norman in Barley’s care. From a distance, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary which he felt was a good sign. He was a bit worried at the audience of butcher gang clones surrounding him however; what were they all so curious about??

Getting closer, Sammy noticed something was different after all; the crack on the side of Norman’s projector head had been welded shut, though was still visible. The projector had also been cleaned thoroughly, mostly inkless besides left over stains and some drips from the lens. Additionally, all the wiring on Norman’s body had been either removed or rearranged; he no longer had wires connecting to his limbs, nor the ring-like pieces over them, and the wires leading out the back of his head were organized and tied together neatly. He also had some kind of bandana tied around his neck into a bow on the back, which was rather odd. What had they been doing to him this whole time?

Sammy walked up to his side slowly, the butcher gang clones move to make room as he knelt next to Norman, Alice hovering nearby. Frowning, he looks to Barley 

“Well? What’s the verdict, then? Will he be alright?”

Sighing, Barley was wiping off his hands with a dirty hand towel covered with either ink or mechanical oil. Sammy wasn’t sure which.

“I’m not sure… I fixed the things that got knocked loose in his head, and even repaired other things. I also cleaned all the extra useless wires off him… but he won’t wake up.”

Sammy frowned at that, feeling distraught; if they had fixed everything, why wouldn’t he wake up??

“But you fixed everything? You made  _ sure _ ?”

“Yes, I double checked everything… I don’t know what’s wrong. I’m sorry…”

Turning to Norman again, Sammy looks all over him as if he’d somehow find some mystery problem to fix, but there was nothing. Norman’s light at least was at a normal level of flickering and not dim as if it were going to burn out, yet he remained unconscious.

“M-maybe he’s asleep? Maybe he’ll wake up if we just rouse him enough? Norman, can you hear me?”

Met with silence, Sammy frowns more starting to gently shake the projectionist

“Norman, Wake up already! You have to wake up!”

Barley frowns, as does Alice who takes hold of Sammy’s hands to stop him

“Sammy, stop; It’s not going to help him. I’m sorry…”

Inhaling sharply on the verge of tears, Sammy pulls his hands away from her before slowly taking hold of one of Norman’s

“Why won’t he wake up?... I-it wasn’t that bad, he was hardly hit!...”

He knew Norman had been hit hard though, and the force at which he collided with the wall wasn’t going to be easily shaken off. It was likely he was just recovering, but Sammy still felt desperate; he just wanted to make sure he was okay. He didn’t want to wait more just to see if he  _ might  _ be. He wanted to keep calm and rational, but his emotions were making it difficult. 

Laying his head on Norman’s chest, Sammy exhaled shakily before squeezing Norman’s hand. He could still hear a heartbeat in his chest, which was comforting; it showed that despite everything, being turned into ink and all, they were still alive at least in some way. He could almost feel the energy of it buzzing under his ear. In fact… something  _ was _ buzzing.

Sammy realized then that Norman’s speaker was giving off static before it suddenly cleared up into a loud groan right into his ear, followed by a raspy tired sounding voice 

“...Kinda hard to rest when you’re snifflin’ over me like that an’ gettin’ all upset…”

Sitting upright, Sammy felt relieved but a bit grouchy at the comment 

“Y-you had me worried sick! It’s only reasonable I would be! Were you sleeping this whole time?!”

The projectionist’s head bobs a bit as he chuckles quietly, his lens brightening as he turns to look at Sammy, still laying on the cot

“No, but I wish I had… blacking out ain’t exactly a trip. The hell happened to me? An’ are  _ you _ alright?”

“Wh- me?? You’re asking if  _ /I’m/  _ fine?? You’re the one who got smashed by an amusement park ride right into the wall!”

“Huh. I do somewhat recall a wall…”

Sighing heavily, Sammy couldn’t help but smile a little; he was relieved and glad Norman was okay

“I’d be surprised if you didn’t… though maybe not, considering you hit it  _ headfirst _ .”

Propping himself up now, Norman looks to him

“Aw, hell- I did?? No wonder I went out like a light… no pun intended.”

Sammy gently punches his arm before gesturing briefly to Barley

“Thanks to your antics, Barley had to fix you up- you’re lucky we had someone who  _ could _ .”

Sitting up fully now, Norman glances around at all the butcher gang clones before looking to Barley

“He did? I guess I should thank you, then… but, I hope you don’t mind me askin’, what exactly did you fix?”

Barley blinks, glancing to a pile of junk wiring he’d pulled from Norman nearby

“Oh- well, I set everything inside your projector back the way it should be for one thing…”

“Woah woah, wait-  _ inside _ my head?!”

“I was careful not to mess up anything. I also mended your crack, and removed unnecessary wires-”

“ _ Crack _ ??”

Norman’s hand immediately moved to the side of his head, feeling over it. Sighing irritably, he slides it off

“Damn… guess I really was hit harder than I thought. Also, what unnecessary wires?...”

As Norman looked over himself, Sammy could tell he was noticing the changes finally; Alice smiles, leaning over a bit with her arms behind her back

“Yes! Barley said you had extra wires you didn’t need, so they’re gone now!”

Barley nods, holding up a very inky reel

“I also took this out of your shoulder… it wasn’t really necessary being there either, and it looked uncomfortable. I hope you don’t mind…”

Rubbing over his shoulder and arms now that the pesky parts had been removed, Norman seemed to be relieved- if Sammy was reading his body language correctly.

“Nah… I don’t mind. I’m actually glad; I feel great right now, ‘sides a headache”

Blinking, Sammy grimaces remembering Barley opening his head… he didn’t want to think about it, really.

“Er… might be residual from hitting your head. But are you feel alright? Nothing else hurts?”

Rolling his shoulders and moving around a bit, Norman nods

“I feel fine. But uh, one other question…”

Looking to Barley, he tugs the handkerchief tied around his neck

“What’s this for?”

Barley glances to it before shrugging a little

“The other clones put that on you… they said you looked… uh… naked.”

Norman stares blankly, as do the rest of them before Sammy snorts loudly

“Naked?! They were trying to give him  _ clothes _ ??”

Norman scoffs a bit, crossing his arms

“I don’t need ‘em. Technically, I don’t have a reason to cover up anyways”

Alice angel shrugs,

“If anything, you’re like Bendy; only clothes you have is something on your neck! Well… his lack thereof, but you know what I mean~”

Sammy snorts again, smirking at Norman

“You hear that, Norman? You’re a nudist like the little demon. How does that make you feel?”

Sounding unamused, Norman tilts his head at him, arms still crossed

“I am  _ not _ a nudist. ‘Sides… even if I was, I wouldn’t give a damn. I’ll streak in this studio if I want ‘cause why the hell not at this point? Drew can gawk at my naked inky ass for all I care”

Sammy laughs at that, making Norman look cheerier from what he could tell. Sighing and wiping at his eyes a bit, Sammy grins at him

“You’re completely  _ ridiculous _ , you know that? Once we’re out of here though, I am  _ not _ letting you run around  _ nude _ .”

Snickering, Norman moves to sit on the edge of the cot now

“Why not? Afraid I’ll ruin your reputation?”

“Shush, you! I just think It’s inappropriate!”

“Oh, you want inappropriate? What if I-”

“NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT. I’M NOT GOING TO LET YOU FINISH THAT STATEMENT.”

Alice chuckles at them, Barley actually smiling a little to Sammy’s surprise. The rest of the clones were unreadable, but at least their group was back in good spirits. Speaking of the group… Where had the rest of them gone??

As if on cue, Susie suddenly appeared practically running up to them

“Hey guys, we found them! We found- oh hey, Norman, you look different.”

Snorting, Norman looks up at her

“That a good thing?”

“Well, you’re not  _ totally  _ naked for one…”

Sammy snorts himself, gesturing at Norman

“See?! Nude!!”

Shaking his head dramatically, Norman looks back to an amused Susie

“Alright, alright; what’s goin’ on? Who didja find?”

“Oh- right! We found Jack and Grant! At least, we’re  _ pretty _ sure we did.”

Sammy furrows his brow, standing up at that

“Pretty sure? What do you mean by that?”

“Wellll, It’s a bit complicated… Allison, Tom, Boris, Charley and I all went around some areas we each knew personally while looking for them, and we found something… interesting.”

Alice angel cuts in then, bouncing a bit

“Oh, oh- Is Boris doing alright?”

Grinning a bit, Susie looks to her curiously

“Yeah, he’s fine. A little spooked, but nothing else”

Looking pleased with the answer, Alice smiles allowing Susie to continue

“So, turns out, there are some lower halls just  _ flooded _ with ink to the point you’d have to swim most the time. In the shallower areas, there’s just  _ tons _ of searchers all over- It’s like a whole spawning ground for them!”

Sammy raises both eyebrows now, surprised

“Really?? That’s sounds only mildly terrifying... So, what do you mean by you  _ think  _ you found them, then?”

Sighing, Susie crosses her arms

“Well, there was one with a bowler hat like Henry mentioned; I’m assuming that’s Jack. As for Grant… we assume he could be anywhere amongst them. So, we’re pretty sure we found them; we just don’t know which ones  _ are _ them”

It was Sammy’s turn to sigh then

“The bowler hat sounds like Jack, but it could also be a different searcher that stole his hat…”

Norman struggles to get up, wobbling a bit causing Sammy to grab and steady him. Grunting, he looks to him

“Thanks… guess I’m still wobbly. Whaddya think we should do, then? Just call out their names and see who responds or what?”

Susie shrugs, eyeing him now

“No idea yet, but what happened to  _ you? _ ”

“Bertrum happened. Got whacked by his giant mechanical ride”

Snorting, she shakes her head

“Boy, I’m glad I didn’t have to deal with  _ that _ . Speaking of which, Bertrum and Lacie are with the others too now. Though, Bertrum is… less than thrilled about his situation”

Sammy raises an eyebrow, still holding Norman steady

“Really? The last I heard, he was switching to some unfinished robot body. What’s wrong now?”

Susie smirks, shaking her head again

“Oh, that plan didn’t work; turned out the second robot he’d been making got scrapped for parts by some butcher gang clones. As a result, we had to find him another body. The one we gave him… oh, you’ll just have to see; It’s too good to spoil”

Sammy had to admit one thing; he  _ was _ very curious now. Looking to Norman, he asks then,

“Are you feeling okay enough to walk?”

“I’ll be fine, I can handle m’self”

However, as he attempted to take a step forward, Norman stumbled making Sammy have to struggle and hold up his weight. After a moment, he sits Norman back on the cot, huffing loudly

“That was the opposite of fine, you know”

Grunting, the projectionist didn’t respond; Sighing, Sammy looks to Susie with a frown

“I’m afraid we can’t come with you at the moment. I need to make sure he’s alright…”

Susie shrugs, grinning a bit

“Then It’s a good thing they’re coming to us.”

“You couldn’t have said that in the first place??”

“You didn’t ask!”

Rubbing his brow, Sammy closes his eyes

“Alright- okay, but what about Jack and Grant?”

“We need to come up with a plan to find them, so we’re regrouping here. I left ahead of the others to see if you guys were here and to let you know so you didn’t run off elsewhere. Any moment now you should see Bertrum…”

Sitting on the cot next to Norman, Sammy gently rubs his partner’s back

“You should lay back down… I think you need more rest.”

“Hm… sounds good to me.”

Sammy gives a quick kiss to the side of his head before getting back up to let Norman lay down before he hears an odd buzzing noise that wasn’t Norman’s speaker for once. Raising an eyebrow, he glances around in confusion along with many of the butcher gang clones. Barley blinks, looking to Susie

“Oh, no… I think I understand now”

Sammy turns to the fisher, still confused

“Understand what? What’s going on?”

Then, the buzzing became louder as one of the toy planes from the factory zipped past them making Sammy flinch. Doing a few loops around the place, it comes flying back over to stop and hover before them. Snorting, Sammy looks to Susie

“Alright, very cute… It’s a toy plane. So what?”

Then, again to his surprise, the plane  _ spoke _

“I’m surprised she didn’t tell you already with the way she’s been  _ gloating _ about it so much! This is quite possibly one of the single worst things to have EVER befallen  _ me _ , the GREAT Bertrum Piedmont!”

Staring, Sammy didn’t know how to react at first. Before him, a tiny hovering toy plane had been possessed by the very proud Bertrum himself. Instead of a proper body… he’d downgraded to this.    
And that was truly,    
and utterly,    
hilarious.

Immediately, Sammy bursts out laughing and almost crying from how funny the situation was. Behind him even Norman was cackling at the sentient plane causing it to buzz louder in anger before swooping over Sammy’s head, causing him to duck.

“wH- HEY! WATCH IT!”

“Mock me, and I WILL divebomb you regardless if it destroys this stupid plane or not!”

“Look, you can’t expect me to take a TALKING TOY PLANE  _ seriously! _ That’s just too much- HEY!”

Bertrum had swooped at him again, making Norman laugh even more until he flops down onto the cot

“Oh man… if I wasn’t dizzy before, I sure as hell am  _ now _ .”

As Bertrum lands on a nearby table in his angry huffiness, the others joined them. Tom seemed as grumpy as usual, Boris looking surprisingly peppy as well as Charley, and Alisson simply tired. As for Lacie… well, her robot face don’t exactly emote. She quickly expressed her own personal thrill however, cackling loudly

“Ha-HAAAAH! Oh, man, this ALMOST makes up for all the shit I’ve been through! This has gotta be one of the best things that’s ever happened in my  _ life _ . Bertrum’s a plane! A god damn tiny little  _ plane! _ HA-HAAAH HAHA!”

Buzzing angrily on the table nearby, the ‘plane’ yells back at her

“It is NOT funny in ANY way!! You mock my plight when I created the body you now inhabit! Truly, you are cruel to me, madam.”

“Ahhh, lighten up propeller nose, it ain’t permanent… ‘sides, I really needed this after whatcha made us go through.”

Trying not to laugh more, Sammy looks at the little plane

“So… how exactly is he able to speak inside that thing?”

Tom sighs heavily, shaking his head

“I installed a small speaker on it out of a spare communication radio. He’s been griping about it since… givin’ me a headache.”

Allison puffs her cheeks, nodding

“Yeah. Me too.”

Sammy snorts, grinning at them

“That bad? Well, guess I’m a little glad I missed out.”

Charley cackles loudly making other butcher gang clones clear out of his way as he approaches and merrily grabs Barley into a one armed hug

“Oh, ya  _ definitely _ missed out! One of the funniest things I’ve seen in this place! Wish you’d been there, Barles~”

Barley smiles a bit at Charley, but was wincing from his volume. He seemed fond of the piper’s company and friendship though.

Alice angel approaches Boris smiling at him, happily asking

“What about the searchers? Were they friendly?”

Boris sighs through his nose, making a so-so hand gesture before signing. Sammy wasn’t very good at reading sign language, but he could make out the gist of it; he was saying something about some being friendly and some being hostile. Alice frowns at that, hugging his arm

“Oh no! I hope they didn’t hurt anyone! Did they know you just wanted to help?”

Boris nods, while Allison added on;

“The searchers were always a bit wary of us. They prefer either their own company, or the lost ones… they don’t really trust anyone else. The one with the bowler hat was especially shy, and wouldn’t let us get close to him- not that we could anyways thanks to all the ink…”

Sammy looks to her curiously

“What about Boris, Charley, and Lacie? They’re immune to it, right? Why not have them try?”

“Charley scared them all away, and Boris is too scared himself. As for Lacie-”

“I  _ refuse _ to touch that hot mess. I don’t wanna risk gettin’ pulled in, even with this body!”

Sammy taps his chin at that, humming in thought

“What is it that decides who can and can’t touch it anyways? Anyone who isn’t a cartoon character besides Henry and Norman can’t touch it because it absorbs us. But the rest are just fine…”

Allison sighs, shrugging

“Your guess is as good as mine. On the bright side, at least we know where to hopefully find the others.”

Tom grunts, angrily walking forward stopping by Norman’s cot

“Yeah, but I doubt they’ll listen or want to come with us. They don’t exactly make things easy.”

Looking down on Norman who had laid down and was holding his head, Tom raises a brow

“What’s up with him? Lacie said ya dragged him away after he got whacked by Bertrum’s machine, right?”

The tiny plane cuts in to then,

“Which, I apologize for, by the way. It wasn’t in the slightest of my intentions to do so- at least not on purpose.”

Norman groans in response

“On purpose or not, my head hurts. Dunno how long I was out, but accordin’ ta Sammy, Barley, an’ Alice, I had to be ‘repaired’.”

Susie walks over towards him, curious

“Repaired? Like what?”

“I dunno, ask Sammy…”

She turns to Sammy, who frowns a bit

“We uh… well,  _ Barley  _ really, opened his projector to fix things. It was… oh, thinking about it makes me  _ nauseous _ ”

Lacie snorts, walking over and ‘gently’ whacking his shoulder making him wince and rub it; her robot strength was a lot more than she probably realized

“Aw c’mon, don’t wussy out now; what’d it look like?”

Sighing heavily, Sammy looks up to the ceiling for a moment before looking down to Norman

“Well… he doesn’t have a head inside, for one. It’s a mass of ink surrounding all the internal pieces that uh… I think is his brain”

Norman looks over at that, sounding surprised

“No head? Just ink?”

Barley sighs quietly, nodding

“It was a pulsing mass of ink… I had to carefully work inside it to repair your wires and gears”

Susie makes a face at that, as does Allison and Boris; Bertrum chimes in for them instead,

“How repulsive. Instead of discussing a technical lobotomy, why don’t we change the subject?”

Sammy nods, actually agreeing

“Right; anyways, Barley cleaned him up in a rather literal sense then. Repairs along with removed wires and bits he didn’t need, like the reel in his shoulder… thankfully nothing vital was damaged.”

Lacie clanks over to Norman, putting her hands on her hips as she examines him

“Nothin’ vital, huh? What about that nasty crack ya had mended there?”

Norman instinctively reaches to it again, running his fingers over it as Barley speaks

“It was just the case, lucky for him.”

Susie gestures at his neck then, where the bandanna was tied

“What’s with the accessory?” 

Sammy blinks before snorting

“You already know why.”

“Just humor me and tell the others!”

Smirking now, Sammy looks to Norman again

“Oh, you’re all going to love this; It’s not as funny as Bertrum being a plane-”

“Hey! I’ve had enough mockery as is!”

“-but It’s still pretty good. According to Barley, the butcher gang clones felt Norman was a little too ‘naked’ for their taste, so they gave him something clothes-related...”

Susie snorts with a laugh again, a few amused looks spreading over the others even if they were trying to hide it. Holding up one arm, Norman crudely extends his middle finger

“Anarchist nudity, deal with it.”

Sammy snorts, giving him a look

“You are  _ not _ an anarchist purposefully performing nudity. You just don’t  _ have  _ clothes to wear.”

“Hey, even if I did, why bother?”

“Norman, I will  _ not _ let you be a nudist”

Allison facepalms, Tom sighing heavily and shaking his head before he starts to walk away

“Alright, I’m goin’ to get some tools and start thinking up some plans for finding the right searchers…”

Bertrum buzzes up from his table then, hovering in front of Allison now

“What about Henry? When will this fellow return, so that I may meet him? You said he’d be able to help, no?”

Allison looks to Sammy frowning a little

“I don’t know. We haven’t heard from him in a while… have you, Sammy?”

“Unfortunately, no; sorry”

“Damn… well, hopefully we hear from him soon. I’m worried something went wrong. He and Bendy did go on their own, afterall”

There was a pause as Susie gets a look on her face, turning a few circles before facing them again

“Speaking of which… has anyone seen Edgar?”

Staring blankly, Sammy and the others glance around before looking back to her; none of them had even noticed his disappearance. Grimacing, she slumps her shoulders

“Oh, crap.”


	55. Comedy and Tragedy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having found a place to contact the Ink Demon, Henry and Bendy accidentally make a switch and get more than they bargained for. While Bendy is joined up by a worrisome Edgar to watch over Henry, Henry faces the Ink Demon for answers not getting exactly what he was looking for. With fears about their discovery at large, the three are quick to take their new knowledge back to the group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none

* * *

Having found a safe area in Susie’s old warehouse (that wasn’t littered with Boris and Butcher gang clone bodies), Henry and Bendy were preparing to try and make contact with the Ink demon. Frankly, he really wished they didn’t have to- but how else would they get the answers they needed? He wasn’t about to try asking Joey.

Somewhat in their favor at least, the Ink demon despised Joey to the point he’d hopefully be willing to help them purely out of spite. After all, Bendy had mentioned it being part of his reasoning for helping before. Henry felt it was also generally a better idea to convince him to help them rather than use his freedom as blackmail, risking making the demon even more hostile towards them. 

In the meantime, they’d pushed some couches together and covered them with pillows and cushions to make a rather comfortable and bed-like surface. Sitting on it with the little demon, Henry was very tempted just to lay down and fall asleep himself, but he had to watch over his companion in case something happened. Currently, said demon was trying to get comfortable so he could fall asleep as he apparently had to be in order to connect with the Ink demon. Though, Henry still had some questions and doubts…

“Are you  _ sure _ you need to be asleep? The Ink demon seems to be able to do it while awake”

“Wellll,  _ technically _ ya just have ta project yer mind from yer body into a meditative state, but considerin’ my energy levels an’ impatience... It’s easier ta just go ta sleep”

“Hm… good point. So when you’re asleep, how exactly does it work?”

“Uhh It’s kinda hard to explain. It’s like travellin’ ‘round the studio with yer mind if that makes any sense? I dunno  _ exactly _ how I do it… it just kinda happens”

“That seems to be how most magic works, doesn’t it?...”

“Well, that’s the thing Henry! Ya just kinda gotta do it second nature; It’s part feelin’ it part doin’ it!”

“Like sleeping?”

“Like sleepin’. Now, quit askin’ me questions; I ain’t gonna get tired if ya keep yappin’!”

Henry smiles a bit, huffing a quiet laugh

“Right… my bad.”

Bendy stretches his arms, slumping with a flop onto the pillows and closing his eyes. Just watching him made Henry feel tired… he hoped his old age wasn’t coming back to him. At least, not until they were done and with the whole nightmare they were in. Though, it wouldn’t hurt to feel younger just enough to still freely move like he could now even after they escaped.

Watching Bendy get comfortable, Henry leaned against the back of one of the couches while looking around the darkened quiet room. He wasn’t sure what it used to be during the studio days, but Susie had converted it into some kind of living room space when she’d occupied it as Alice. Thanks to his and Bendy’s efforts though, it was now more of an odd bedroom... almost. 

He had to keep a watchful eye on their surroundings in case any sign gave away the Ink demon’s approach, which was never enjoyable. The whole suspense and waiting made the otherwise cozy room feel less welcoming the more he thought about it. Even so, he was still surprisingly tired… why did he feel so exhausted all the time? Maybe playing with magic had drained his energy more than he’d thought.

Slowly, Henry started to examine random parts of the room, enveloping himself in his thoughts to try and stay awake. He had to admit he was still shaken by so many things, and now he had the time to consider them- for better or for worse. He’d gained a sort of numbness to death, pain, and suffering thanks to this place which was disturbing to say the least. It made him lose emotional impact to things like knowing that his friend’s bodies were in coffins that normally should bother him. Somehow he wasn’t numb to his own death however, perhaps because it was something new to him- being able to clearly picture his own corpse in his mind was frightening, and repeatedly something he tried to block out.

On top of that horror, the pain and trauma of the inky infection inside of him was fresh after literally ripping it out of himself. He partially wished he hadn’t, but he was mostly glad to have it out if at least for a while longer. 

Absentmindedly, he rubs over the spot continuing his thoughts… though he’d faced plenty of horrors, one thing was secretly nagging him more than his disturbance. 

Joey wasn’t gone like he’d thought. 

He wasn’t just a fictional addition on the cycle like some ghost, or long dead. He was  _ alive _ and had been orchestrating all of this torment the whole time. The thought of his once best friend and ex turning out to be his greatest nightmare made him surprisingly bitter. 

Henry liked to imagine he himself wasn’t the type to hold grudges or be easily angered, but with everything that had happened, a deep and dark part of him had a horrible loathing for Joey. Joey had been such a big part of his life only to become a hole torn into it, filling with hatred. He didn’t want to hate Joey but how could he feel anything else towards him now? Perhaps he shouldn’t mention it to the others for risk of seeming bent on vengeance like his counterpart, but he couldn’t deny there was some desire for it.

Henry wanted to be better than him though- to not become absorbed in the past and let his wrongs consume him, but his plight was far different from Joey’s considering. Joey had manipulated and used everyone, then committed horrors in many ways including murder and torment among literal demon magic. The demon part didn’t really bother him particularly, but Henry couldn’t help but wonder how exactly it might affect their lives; was there a good and bad system ruling over them? If there was, Joey definitely broke the scale on the bad end, and Henry was feeling more apathetic for him each passing day. Or, at least what constituted for a day in their Hell.

Sighing heavily, he closed his eyes now thinking about the romance he’d once been able to enjoy… even while sitting here thinking about his hatred for Joey, Henry couldn’t simply forget it. They’d been so happy for a time and it was wonderful. Things had seemed so much clearer and simpler then, just two close friends who became closer when bringing a wonderful dream to life. They’d spent years in one another’s lives only for it all to crumble apart in a way that felt so sudden and unfair. Henry knew it was Joey’s fault for his flaws he let get away from himself, but Henry still felt some burden over it too. 

The words spoken to him at the end of every rewind played quite clearly in his head...

“ _ The truth is, you were always so good at pushing, old friend... pushing me to do the right thing! You should have pushed a little harder. _ ”

Clenching his teeth a bit, Henry reopened his eyes feeling distraught and angry at the same time. What had he meant by that? Push him a little harder?? He’d done everything he could to try and get Joey on a better track, but the man never listened! How could he so easily pin it on him like that?

At the same time, Henry did feel maybe he could have done something to prevent all this. Maybe if he had just tried harder Joey would have let go like he needed to… but he couldn’t be sure. That was the thing, though; there was no use pondering ‘what ifs’ when going back and fixing it was impossible. The only thing left to do was move forward and keep going, striving to be better without him.

Sighing out loud, Henry looked up at the ceiling thinking about his wife and daughter… whatever had become of them, he wasn’t sure. He could only hope he hadn’t left them miserable in his absence. He was also afraid of potentially re-encountering them once they did escape, especially with what he’d become. He was made of ink, and full of all kinds of condensed trauma he had yet to address- not to mention he felt distortedly disconnected from his old life by now.

Frowning, he felt tired and weighed down by it all… there was just so much to address and he didn’t even know where to start. 

Jarred from his thoughts however, something out of the corner of his eye seemed to have moved in the shadows. Sitting upright, he quickly glanced around trying to find it, but saw nothing. Heart beating faster now with nervous fear, Henry reached over to Bendy gently trying to shake him awake.

“Bendy?? Wake up, I think someone’s here-”

Blinking, Henry looked down noticing a small gold light in his chest. Why was Bendy’s soul half reacting now?

Before he could question it much, Henry suddenly felt darkness overtake him as he slumped next to the demon. The last thing he thinks is ‘God Damn it, not again’.

  * POV change: Bendy



In the same moment, Bendy bolted upright, blearily confused and blinking.

“Huh?? Henry, why’d ya wake me- Aw, Hell! Henry!”

Behind the demon, a voice spoke quietly

“Don’t scream.”

Naturally, Bendy screamed.

Turning around, he nearly punches Edgar in the face who was holding up all three of his arms in defense. Blinking, Bendy snorts giving him a look

“Ed?! What the Hell are ya doin’ here?! How’d ya find us, an’ why??”

Edgar sighs, looking a bit guilty

“Everyone was off doing things, and I felt both bored and a need to make myself useful. So, I decided to come looking for you two! What exactly did you just do to Henry, by the way?”

Bendy gives him an unamused look, sighing heavily 

“Ya woulda been fine just stayin’ with the others, but I guess yer here now!”

Edgar shrugs with a small guilty smile as Bendy squints at him. Looking to Henry now, he frowns

“As fer Henry… I uh… I think I accidentally connected him to the Ink demon instead ‘a me. Whoops.”

Edgar stares at him before holding up all three arms in exasperation

“Whoops?! You are awfully calm about it!”

“Well I wouldn’ta done it if  _ someone _ hadn’t woken me!”

“But I didn’t wake you!”

Blinking, Bendy leans back a little

“Huh?? Ya didn’t?”

“No! Henry did, because- ...well, I guess because I accidentally scared him.”

“So, It’s indirectly yer fault.”

“Either way, there’s no point in finding blame; What do we do??”

Bendy turned to look at Henry who seemed awfully cozy looking for the horror he was about to deal with

“...Guess we wait.”

“Wait??”

“Yeah, not much else we can do! I’ve tried snappin’ him awake from the Ink demon before… it doesn’t work.”

“So we wait…”

“Yup! I’m sure Henry’ll know what he’s doin’. Wanna play charades?”

Edgar stared blankly before comically slapping a hand to his face loudly before it was soon followed by both of his other hands. Bendy snickers before the striker mutters, his words muffled by his hands

“Henry is about to be mentally tormented by the Ink demon, who could find and kill us all, and you want to play  _ charades _ .”

Shrugging, Bendy snorts

“Hey, like I said, ain’t nothin’ we can do about it now! So ya wanna just sit around an’ be bored, or do somethin’?...”

Looking defeated, Edgar sighs

“How old are you, again?”

Blinking, Bendy sneers crossing his arms 

“Wow! Askin’ a demon his age? How  _ rude _ , Edgar; I thoughtcha were a  _ gentleman _ .”

Rolling his eye, Edgar sighs

“You sound like you’re twelve.”

Sputtering, Bendy huffs again

“I’ll have ya know I’m an  _ adult _ , thank ya very much! I was born one actually! I think. I dunno, I’m like… old as the studio or somethin’. It’s weird.”

Edgar looked somewhat amused at the demon’s ramblings, shaking his head

“Right, either way, that would make you… around or over thirty years old? And you want to play  _ charades _ .”

“Hey, ya got a better idea??”

Opening his mouth, Edgar paused blanking a bit. Rubbing his chin, he looks around

“Well, we can set up defenses and traps for the Ink demon…”

Blinking, Bendy hops up and down then, bouncing poor Henry whose arm flops over his face

“Hey, yeah!! We can put all kinds a devious wires an’ stuff for that idiot ta trip on!! Let’s do it!”

Jumping off the couch bed, Bendy lands next to Edgar who frowns at Henry

“What about him?”

“Oh, yeah-”

Bendy leans back over the side of the couch bed, pulling a marker from Henry’s tool belt and uncapping it with a horribly devious grin. Edgar grimaces, looking like he regretted opening his mouth

“Bendy… you’re really going to deface your own father like this?”

Bendy had already drawn a grin similar to his own over Henry’s mouth.

“What, ya wouldn’t?? What are ya, square??”

Edgar drags a hand down his face, but Bendy could see a hint of a smile

“You’re terrible.”

“Yeah?? An’ yer borin’, unless ya help me do this.”

“...give me the marker.”

Snickering, Bendy watches Edgar draw pie-cut eyes on Henry’s eyelids. The old man was looking more toon already. Leaning over Edgar, Bendy’s devious grin returns

“Let’s do this for a bit,  _ then _ we can set up demon traps”

“You’re a terrible influence, you know that?”

Winking and tugging his bowtie, Bendy gives him double pistols

“Hey, I ain’t a demon fer nothin’~”

Edgar snorts a bit at that, handing back the marker

“I’m done. You have your fun, I’ll start gathering supplies.”

“Fineeee… But ya know i’m slowly corruptin’ ya!!”

Edgar walks away shaking his head, making Bendy realize something…

“Heeeeeeeeey, Ed!”

“Don’t call me- oh, forget it; what??”

“Yer walkin’!”

“How else would I get around?- Oh. My leg.”

“Yeah! Does it feel better??”

“Actually, somewhat. I didn’t even realize…”

Snorting, Bendy gives him a funny look

“Really?? Maybe ya really did just grow a new one back…”

Sighing and walking away again, Edgar calls over his shoulder

“Not how spiders work!”

“As far as  _ you _ know!”

Grinning still, Bendy turned back to poor Henry who was only just beginning to get decorated. He genuinely did have concerns and worry, but there really wasn’t anything he could do- so he might as well try to not let it upset him. Besides, now he had the important job of lookout with Henry like this; all that had really happened was a small role reversal in a sense.

One that was now resulting in Bendy writing ‘Foxy Grandpa’ on Henry’s forehead.

  * POV change: Henry



Yelling and flailing his arms, Henry felt like he was falling down a dark tunnel which surprisingly kept happening to him. He would’ve thought he’d have gotten at least a little used to it, but as he plummeted practically screaming he was proven otherwise.

Feeling himself start to slow down, Henry managed to stammer into silence as a light opened up under him. Flinging right through it with a flash, he felt a lot like he’d portaled through the ink as the world flipped around entirely along with his stomach. Dropping to the floor roughly with a thud, Henry took a moment to lay there and regain himself. He wasn’t in physical pain, but his face felt a bit funny as if something was writing on it… otherwise he was fine- just disoriented. 

Blinking, he hears speaking from nearby, but the voices didn’t bring him any form of comfort.

“Still?? How’re you so incapable of finding them! Where the hell could they have even gone where we wouldn’t see?! I OWN this studio, and I know it like the back of my hand! That should be far more than enough for you!”

Sitting up, Henry could see Joey sitting in what looked like some kind of… office. But it was rather large, and cluttered with tons of things ranging from studio equipment, Bendy parafernalia, and even items with color from the outside world… seeing them here felt wrong.

A low growl emanated from the shadows of the room nearby, making Henry jump as the Ink demon slunk into view, a small boris toy in his hand.

“ _ Clearly, they’ve become smarter. After all these years Henry’s finally wisened up… I’d be less snappy and more /worried/ if I were you, liver spots. _ ”

Joey gave the demon a look of icy unamusement, steepling his hands over the desk he was sitting at

“You think you’re real cute, don’t you? Imitating that bratty cartoon, thinking It’ll make you less of a  _ freak _ and more like him… Need I remind you that I own  _ you _ , too?”

The Ink demon suddenly hit the floor next to Henry, grunting angrily before slowly sitting up as his grin was now twitching and his horns resembled angry cat ears. Henry scrambles back away from the demon, pressing against a stack of junk as if he were physical somehow.

Joey sighs then, shaking his head before turning his chair to pick up a mug of what Henry realizes was coffee. He could feel his mouth watering.

“Now, then… instead of being a brat, why don’t you tell me what you  _ have _ been doing, since you’ve clearly not been looking for them hard enough?”

Practically strangling the Boris toy, the Ink demon tilts his head

“ _...I’ve been trying to find a way to locate them, since I can’t get any signs of their activity. I have some suspicions about the storage park room, though… _ ”

“Then what’re you doing here in my office?! Do you just enjoy coming in to irritate me??”

“ _ Something like that. _ ”

Joey scoffs, sipping his coffee again while the Ink demon holds up the Boris toy, sneering at it

“ _ It’s funny how despite them not being here… it still feels like their annoying presence always manages to plague me. _ ”

With that, the Ink demon’s head turned to stare directly at Henry who stiffens; it was clear the Ink demon could see him. However, no move was made to out his presence to Joey for some odd reason. That’s when Joey plucks a ball of paper off his desk, throwing it at the Ink demon lazily who bats it away; as a result, it goes right for Henry who holds up his hands only for it to pass through him. Ah… he wasn’t  _ really _ there.

“I definitely know the feeling. It never really goes away, does it?”

“ _ No. It’s makes me want to really ask why they’re /here/. Why are /you/ here? _ ”

The question was indirectly aimed at him somewhat as the Ink demon was still looking at him. Joey, however, snorts into his coffee before looking confused and irritated

“Now you’re starting to sound like Henry! It’s none of your concern why I or anyone else is here; your job right now is to simply  _ find _ them, so why are  _ you _ here?”

Henry wondered if Joey would be able to hear him… he had to say something though. They still needed answers. Whispering, he answers the Ink demon’s question;

“I… We need a way to get everyone out of the studio. There’s so many people, how’re we supposed to get them all out in time? You said the gateway won’t last, right?”

The Ink demon sits back on his haunches, looking ahead at Joey now

“ _ So many questions indeed… but why should I answer you? _ ”

Joey blinks, lowering his mug now

“Are you mocking me??”

The Ink demon sits in silence, grinning. Henry grimaces, feeling a bit awkward and a whole lot of fear. Taking in a deep breath, he continues despite it

“We need to know. It’s important to getting everyone out of here so nobody is left to suffer for Joey’s selfishness. I know you probably don’t care, but we need to free the souls trapped here. Please, can you help us? I need to know how I can take them all with us.”

The Ink demon chuckles a bit making Joey look even more baffled

“ _ It’s not as complex as you think. You’re right assuming I haven’t the slightest care… but I’ll still do my part. _ ”

Joey rolls his eyes, opening up an old newspaper as if it would have any point in this realm

“Well, you better. Now get on with it; I’ve had enough with your awful voice and heartbeat ringing in my ears for now.”

Getting up, the Ink demon slowly looks in Henry’s direction again before turning his attention to Joey, fiddling with the Boris toy he’d picked up

“ _ It’s interesting, isn’t it, how you would do anything to keep this dimension in tact? You were so caught up in it all you made sure that you permanently could never leave. But what will the others do when they realize breaking this world apart will free them all, and leave you attached to your personal hell? _ ”

Joey sounds irritated, not moving his gaze from the newspaper

“If they break this dimension in the delusion It’ll free them, they’ll tear apart reality itself! I made  _ sure _ of that.”

“ _ Yes, because you needed insurance. Afterall… the price you paid cost your ability to ever leave yourself. If they did succeed, you’d be trapped in a shattered purgatory of reality far more fragmented than this one. _ ”

Joey sneers a bit, side eyeing the Ink demon

“Which is  _ why _ if they break this dimension, they’ll break much more than they bargained for.  _ None  _ of us would survive.”

“ _ Yet if they found the way around it- _ ”

“Which they  _ won’t. _ ”

“ _ -Then they’d all be free while you suffer alone. _ ”

Gripping the Boris toy’s head now, the Ink demon promptly tears it away making Henry flinch and instinctively reach out a hand

“ _...funny how all it takes is for the key keeping them here to escape. He always was the one thing you obsessed over more than me. _ ”

Joey gives the Ink demon an irritated and quizzical look before scoffing

“He’ll never realize the truth, so will you get out with your riddles already?! I don’t need a demon trying to pass judgement on sentimentality he’s never experienced! Don’t make me  _ make _ you.”

Henry was shocked and surprised, but he felt he understood. Everything Allison had said about him being the hope to set them free was more true than any of them had realized. The studio, this surreal dimension, was some kind of entrapped pocket of Joey’s making- and  _ he _ was the key out. Henry had been mislead in circles repeatedly in a loop so as to never find the truth, as the script of the reel kept him in the dark. But now, he was very close to breaking free.

Unfortunately, there was the ‘insurance’ aspect he still didn’t understand; what had Joey possibly done to stop them now? It seemed he must’ve made some kind of deal in the beginning, and Henry felt the price had been far greater than Joey had been willing to pay. As a result he’d set a trap to keep Henry from straying off the script, but what he’d failed to realize was Henry wasn’t going to give up so easily.

Magic was an odd thing with the strangest requirements for fantastic reward, but it wasn’t without consequences. There had to be something he was missing to the grand puzzle of it all. 

Looking to the Ink demon, he asks,

“If I have to get out to free everyone, how do I do it without breaking everything apart? What is the insurance Joey is talking about?”

The Ink demon responds, his voice sounding quieter in a way Henry realizes was only audible to him.

“ _ Unfortunately, some things are inevitable, but we carry on forward into the darkness of the unknown… I’ll warn you now, sentimentality will only hold you back. If you truly seek to undo everything, you will have to let it go yourself. _ ”

As the Ink demon turns and starts to leave, Henry realizes he wasn’t going to get a direct answer; that always seemed to be how it was. Him having questions, but never getting answers. He had a new question now though thanks to the Ink demon’s answer; was he going to have to leave everyone behind to  _ save _ them? How could he tell them such a thing?

Feeling baffled and getting up to leave himself, Henry pauses before cautiously stepping in front of Joey’s desk, looking down on him and frowning. All of this mess and stress was because of him, leaving Henry to have to try and fix it. There was so much he wanted to say, so much he wanted to shout at the top of his lungs at the man before him… and considering he couldn’t see him, why not?

Taking a deep breath, Henry glares at Joey not caring that the Ink demon would hear his words.

“You always were good at getting your way, weren’t you? Never once did you stop to think about anything but yourself. There was never a ‘we’, never an ‘us’, never anyone in your mind but yourself… and now, look where It’s gotten you. Gotten  _ all  _ of us. At this point I don’t even know if you’ve gone mad, or really are just that cold that you can’t feel anymore. I once knew Joey Drew… the real Joey, who had that pencil and a dream but was still grounded in reality. The Joey who could look in a mirror and see the mistakes he’d made, then strive to fix them. What happened?... Where did it go wrong? Where did  _ you _ go wrong?”

Henry felt himself shaking with emotion before practically slamming his hands to Joey’s desk; nothing moved from it, but he still felt it under his palms

“When did you lose your entire self in this- this useless studio?!”

Staring in silence at Joey’s lack of reaction, Henry lifts his hands away, closing his eyes with a sigh

“At this point, it feels like you don’t even have a soul anymore…”

Smirking a bit as he lifts his coffee mug up, Joey snorts softly

“It’s cute, really. And also borderline pitiful. You  _ really  _ think I’m that blunt? You’d think I wouldn’t know my own tricks you’re using, and recognize when something’s going on right under my nose?…”

Confused and surprised, Henry stares blankly before looking behind himself to see the Ink demon had paused in the doorway

“ _ What tricks? I don’t know what you’re talking about. _ ”

Sipping his coffee, Joey lowers the newspaper a bit 

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

With a terrified chill, Henry wonders if Joey had actually heard him. But how?? How could he possibly have the ability to know he was there? 

The Ink demon turns to Joey then, sneering a bit

“ _ You’re bluffing. _ ”

“Oh, on the contrary… your words gave it away.”

The Ink demon looked ready to say something as Joey’s unnaturally blue eyes glance up in Henry’s direction, the man smiling now

“Someone’s here.”

Taken aback, Henry sputters

“H-how? How did you-”

He was quickly cut off by the Ink demon however

“ _ You’re still bluffing. _ ”

Joey shrugs, taking a long draft from his mug until it was empty 

“Maybe, maybe not. All I can say is you’re going to regret sharing the things you did. Also… the trip back from astral projection Isn’t very fun.”

Before he could say anything, Henry felt himself being pulled back; it was as if he’d been ripped from the room, suddenly plummeting into inky darkness again.

-

Sitting up with a gasp, Henry blinked a few times before holding his head which ached now. Groaning a bit, he took a moment to let his mind stop spinning before moving his hands and looking around. Feeling confused, he noticed what looked like intricate contraptions and tripwires set up around the place.

“What the?...”

“Henry!!! Yer awake!!”

Bendy comes running over then, jumping onto the couch bed making Henry bounce and grab the side for balance

“Jeeze- yeah, I’m awake; mind slowing down though? I’m still dizzy from it…”

Bendy flops down next to him, hugging Henry’s arm and grinning. His expression looked surprisingly joyful for whatever reason…

“Sorry; I’m just glad yer okay! Didja get what we needed??”

“Yeah… I think so. But I think Joey knew I was there…”

A voice from behind pipes up then; a posh formal one he wasn’t expecting

“Joey?? I thought you were speaking with the demon?”

Turning, Henry makes a face upon seeing Edgar who… makes a face back. The striker covers his mouth with all three hands, looking like he was trying not to laugh. Henry raises an eyebrow, slowly questioning,

“When did you get here?  _ Why _ are you here?? And what the heck is so funny to you two???”

Edgar clears his throat, trying to regain his composure as if he hadn’t just reacted like that

“The others had left me alone to do their tasks, so I felt I should come find you. You two had been missing for some time, afterall; I am certain everyone is worried.”

“I suppose, but then Bendy could’ve just used our radio to update them. You didn’t need to come here…”

He turns to Bendy who looked like he was on the verge of bursting

“And what’s with all the strings and stuff?? I feel like we’re in some kind of cheesy gag movie where people slip on marbles or get buckets on their heads.”

Bendy shrugs, smiling wide

“Sorta the idea! It was extra defenses in case ol’ ink-butt tried gettin’ in. But since he Isn’t comin’, ya wanna try openin’ that door Henry?”

“I can see a bucket balanced on it, Bendy…”

“Yeah, so?? Humor me!”

Rolling his eyes, Henry struggles to get up off the couch-bed contraption, sighing

“I think I’ve done that enough already”

Looking to Edgar again, the Striker purses his mouth as if trying to force a poker face.

“...especially because neither of you apparently wants to tell me what’s so funny.”

Bendy waves a hand dramatically, hopping down next to him

“Aw, c’mon Henry; don’t worry about it! Let’s just hurry back ta safety before someone finds us!”

“That just makes me worry more.”

However, a distant clank noise followed by the sound of spilling marbles makes all three of them flinch and stiffen. Edgar turns to one of the two doors to the room, grimacing

“That was one of the traps. Something, or some _ one _ just set it off…”

Henry grabs up both Bendy and Edgar under his arms then, not wanting to wait and find out who

“Bendy, get us out of here please.”

“Aww, but I wanna see them slip on-”

“ _ Please. _ Before we’re caught and  _ killed _ ”

Sighing dramatically, Bendy pouts

“Fineeee.”

As the three portaled away to safety through the ink, the unfortunate victim of the marbles came stumbling and slipping right into the door. The bucket that had been balanced on top falls, dousing the victim in ink leaving a very baffled and unfortunate striker clone to sit there and wonder what It’d done to deserve this.


	56. Reality Check

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now coming together again, the group re-greets one another before learning the grim news from Henry of their imminent discovery and need to move forward before its too late. As they gear up for what's next, Henry briefly laments over his inky infection spreading until reality itself shakes him and all of his friends to their core. What had they witnessed? What was happening to the very world they lived in? All Henry knows now is they need to move before time runs out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: unreality, blood mention 
> 
> Notes: I hope you guys like this chapter's cameo from my friend corruptimles ;) let's just say this won't be the last of it!

* * *

Returning to the others now, Henry felt like he’d had more than enough falling for a lifetime and was ready to never deal with it again. Already he was making a vow to never ride roller coasters or find himself up high enough to fall for any extended period of time. The thought was quickly set aside however as they approached their friends now, having returned from their little ‘escapade’.

Waltzing ahead, Bendy happily hops up onto a nearby crate, yelling to get their attention only to say something Henry felt couldn’t mean anything good

“HEY GUYS!! LOOK AT HENRY!”

Blinking, Henry stood there awkwardly as everyone turned before Bertrum’s loud recognizable voice practically shouted back

“Ah, finally; I get to meet this famed ‘Henry Stein’! It’s about time!”

To Henry’s surprise, a toy plane came buzzing around the room before hovering in front of him... only for the  _ plane _ to sound surprised

“...What in the glazes happened to  _ you?? _ ”

“I was about to ask the same thing…”

“Me?? I’m just borrowing a toy plane for a body; but  _ you _ , My good sir, are covered in… ‘Foxy Grandpa’?”

“ _ What??? _ ”

Henry realized now that the others were giving him various looks of amusement, hinting that something had been done to him while he was unconscious. Pulling out the seeing tool, he looks in its reflective glass surface to find he was  _ covered _ in marker. He had a marker version of Bendy’s eyes and mouth over his own, ‘foxy grandpa’ on his forehead, as well as crude scribbles of many mini bendys all over him.

“....BENDY!!!”

The little demon bursts out laughing as do several of the others, Susie wheezing out

“ _ Foxy grandpa?! _ ”

Alice angel gasps, putting her hands to her cheeks before looking to Bendy with disappointment 

“Bendy!! That’s so cruel!”

Bendy was busy practically rolling around laughing before Henry lunges for him. Scrambling like a frightened animal, the demon skittered and flung off the crate just in time before clawing his way up a stack of other crates. Sitting up, Henry peered up at the demon grumpily to see frightened bugged out eyes peering back.

“Bendy, you realize this means I’m going to return the favor later, right?”

“Aw, c’mon!! It was just some harmless fun!”

Rolling his eyes, Henry sits on the crate he’d chased the demon off of while sighing heavily

“Anyone have something I can wipe this off with-”

Without hesitation, Alice angel squirts him in the face with a spray bottle she’d found somehow now wiping him with a rag. Scrunching his face in response, Henry waits until she’s done before blinking his eyes open. However, she was grimacing…

“You made it worse, didn’t you?”

“Uhm… sorry, Henry.”

Looking at the seeing tool’s glass again, Henry found the marker left him looking like he’d been wearing heavy eye makeup and cried it over his face. Either that, or he was possessed with a ghost making him cry ink.

“...Right. Before this gets worse, can someone update me on what’s been going on?”

Plane-Bertrum buzzed over, landing on a table near him then

“Currently, we have a small party bringing back some very unhappy searchers. Other than that, we had been waiting for your return, and /I/ to speak with you. I must say, our first impressions were both a bit… lackluster.”

Rubbing at his temples a bit, Henry can hear Bendy snickering again from behind him

“Tell me about it.”

He looks over to Edgar then, who seemed rather amused

“Besides being surprised with a visit from your missing striker-”

Susie hurries over then, along with the other two butcher gang members as she scoops up Edgar, who flails his arms

“Edgar!! That’s where you went- I knew it! You have  _ got _ to stop running off like that, you hear me?!”

“I-I’m sorry, ma’am! I left a note, but I suppose you never found it…”

Susie gives him a look of confusion

“Note?? We never found any note?”

Charley blinks, snorting

“Oh, yeah; Ed’s note! I completely forgot!!”

The piper rustles in his pocket a bit before pulling out a rather crumpled paper

“I was gonna give it to ya, but I forgot. Whoops.”

Edgar looked ready to yell at him, but Henry cuts in to continue what he had been saying before a fight broke out

“-I ended up being the one talking to the Ink demon instead of Bendy. And, indirectly, Joey.”

The room grew rather quiet before the toy plane next to him buzzes angrily

“Joey?! As in Joey Drew?! Oh, that MAN! When I get the chance I will make him pay a thousand fold for the many woes that have befallen me since the day I dared set foot in his  _ wretched _ studio!”

As the plane started to take off, Alice angel caught it with a sigh

“We’ve discussed this, Mister Piedmont; if you get too upset, you’ll short out your propeller again!”

Charley snorts, adding on

“Why stop him? I wanna see him nose dive again!”

Alice gives the laughing piper a dirty look before frowning to Henry

“What did you speak about with the Ink demon and Mister Drew?”

Frowning back, Henry looks down

“Mostly how to get everyone out of this place… but I also learned they’re close to finding us. They’re searching the amusement park’s storage, so It’s only a matter of time.”

The many butcher gang clones looked nervous now, as did the gathered lost ones and some stray searchers. Susie moves closer, leaning in a bit

“You’re  _ sure _ ?”

“I am. Joey’s also onto me; I think he knew that I was talking to the Ink demon.”

Bendy, who had climbed back down by now, walks up next to him frowning

“Aw, man- I shoulda figured there was a chance he’d find out!”

Alice angel moves closer too, frowning

“What does this mean, Henry?”

Looking up at all the concerned expressions, he sighs

“It means we’re running out of time. We need to prepare for a final fight soon, and get everyone ready to go. If we don’t we’ll likely never get another chance and fall to the mercy of the Ink demon. Hey... speaking of, where’s everyone else?”

Betrum scoffs in Alice’s hands, his propeller spinning a bit

“They’ve gone off to try and corral searchers out of hiding. They haven’t been very successful, though.”

“Searchers? What for?”

“Lacie said they could potentially have some of our missing friends amongst their ranks. But besides that, I still wanted to speak with you! First off, how do you plan to get us all out exactly?”

“Well, that’s what I spoke to the Ink demon for in the first place. It’s… It’s apparently simpler than we thought. According to the Ink demon, a ‘key’- which i’m assuming is someone and not  _ something-  _ has to pass through the gateway out of this place, and It’ll free everyone else automatically. But Joey set up some kind of ‘insurance’ to prevent it… I didn’t find out what that is though.”

For a toy plane, Bertrum sounded rather offended

“Key?? You mean only one person gets to actually leave, and we have to rely on them letting us out? How are we to be sure they won’t just run off a free man while we’re stuck here! Also, I don’t find any unknown plots by Joey Drew to be a good sign!”

Susie rolls her eyes at Bertrum’s dramatics

“Would you rather we not try anything at all and be stuck here?”

“Certainly not, madam! I will follow your group to ensure that I and the others are not left behind! We may not be so ingrained in your friend circle, but we are still important!”

Henry sighs again, shaking his head

“I was never intending to leave anyone behind; of course you guys will be let out too. We just don’t need you all following us into harm’s way in the process.”

“I would still like to ensure we’re not left behind!”

“So long as you can keep up with us and don’t get smashed in the process, you’re welcome to I suppose... most everyone else will have to stay behind though.”

Bendy looks curious at that, holding onto Henry’s knee bouncing a bit

“Who do ya think is the key then?? Sammy used ta talk about that ‘key entity’ stuff, do ya think it has ta do with that?? Am I the key?”

A lost one nearby speaks up suddenly 

“I really hope not.”

Bendy snickers, but Henry was a bit conflicted; if Bendy and the Ink demon  _ were  _ the key to open the gate, what was the  _ other _ key? Was he being vain in assuming it was himself? He didn’t exactly have direct answers, but the Ink demon seemed to imply as much mentioning someone Joey had been attached to. But now there was another issue; how was he going to break the news that he’d have to leave all of them behind, including Bendy? 

Next to him, Barley gently speaks up 

“You know the answer, don’t you? About the key”

Blinking, Henry lifts his seeing tool, looking at his still smudged face reflected in the glass

“That’s the thing… I’m not completely certain. Bendy Isn’t wrong about being  _ /a/ _ key, but I don’t think he and the Ink demon are meant to leave. I don’t think they’re  _ /the/ _ key.”

Barley looks at him through the glass curiously

“Then who is?”

Frowning a little, Henry lowers it to look at the fisher

“Well...”

Before he answers, a loud metal clanking pulls their attention away, partially to his relief. From what it seemed the rest of the group had returned, Lacie clearly among them by the sound of it. For whatever reason though, it also sounded like she was stumbling around… but he quickly saw why as she came into view.

“Fer christ’s sake- Fain, if ya don’t stop blockin’ my view, we’re  _ both _ gonna end up takin’ a one way trip to eatin’ dirt! Quit clingin’ to my face!!”

She was struggling to hold up the swollen searcher with a bowler hat Henry had unfortunately crushed long ago. He seemed rather nervous at the moment, clinging over poor Lacie’s face making her stumble around blindly. 

Following them, Henry almost snorted upon seeing Sammy acting much like the famed sheppard he had claimed to be. The music director was busy strumming away on a banjo with an unamused expression while a herd of many searchers of various types followed him, along with Norman, Allison, Tom, and Boris.

Making her way to them, Lacie stops and grunts before muttering through Jack’s inky arms,

“Ya gonna let go of me now, or just keep clingin’ on me like this bud? I’d appreciate if ya let go.”

The searcher shakes his head, making Henry smile sympathetically before Bertrum loudly yells only scaring Jack more

“Good lord, just release her! Are you some kind of animal?? You can’t just cling all over someone like that; show some respect and dignity!”

Lacie grumpily replies back

“Bertrum, I appreciate the sentiment, but yer makin’ it worse by scarin’ him”

“Well, pardon me for having manners and suggesting he do the same.”

Sammy and the many others reached them then, the music director promptly ceasing his music to the disappointment of the searchers. Sighing loudly, he slumps into a chair looking rather tired until he flinches upon seeing Henry’s face

“What happened to  _ you?? _ You look like some kind of  _ zombie _ .”

“...thanks. You don’t look much better yourself; what the heck happened with you guys?”

Allison walks over, grinning a bit and answering for Sammy

“We had to lure the searchers out of hiding, so Sammy played the pied piper and got them to follow us. Jack Fain was a little more reluctant though…”

Looking back to Lacie, Henry frowns; he still felt bad about what he’d done before.

“He looks scared…”

Sammy puffs, nodding

“That’s putting it lightly. He’s  _ mortified _ of everything!”

Norman and Tom clank over then, the former leaning over Sammy snickering

“Can ya blame him? This place ain’t exactly got a ‘welcome’ doormat or a friendly staff anymore.”

Rolling his eyes, Sammy takes hold of the projectionist’s projector head giving it a small kiss

“You seem friendly enough to me. But, I suppose you  _ were _ scary at first… and you recently nearly died, too.”

Henry blinks, frowning

“Wait- what?? What did I miss?”

Norman snorts again, looking to him

“You can ask Bertrum. Also, we learned Sammy has a phobia for amusement rides.”

“Look, I have perfectly good reasons! They’re death traps!”

“After my experience I’m honestly ready to agree.”

Plane Bertrum scoffed, buzzing and taking off from Alice angel’s hands causing the flood of searchers to curiously follow him with their gazes.

“I already told you it wasn’t intentional, and said I was sorry!”

Alice angel smiles sympathetically watching the plane

“At least he feels bad about it…”

She happily greets Boris then, who slumps against her while signing

‘Searchers are messy and scary’

Chuckling, she hugs him

“Aww, but they’re still friends!”

Boris whines a little, making Alice coo at him more

“Aww, you poor thing… you must be tired; Why don’t you sit down for a bit?”

Boris nods, slumping down on Henry’s other side smiling at him. Henry smiles back, ruffling the friendly wolf’s ears a bit

“Good to see you too, buddy.”

Henry watches the others struggle to get Jack off Lacie, the searcher shaking quite a bit as if he’d seen a ghost. Rubbing his chin, Henry had an idea; turning to the nearest butcher gang clone (a fisher with two faces), he asks;

“Can you bring me a spare pipe valve? It’d really help us out, and I’d really appreciate it”

Staring at Henry for a moment, the fisher seems to contemplate his words before waddling away, its two faced head swinging around. As it left, Allison leans over Henry

“So? What’s the plan, then?”

Blinking, Henry remembered that he’d been gone for a while and had some catching up to do with the others

“Oh- right. Well, It’s still the usual of ‘prepare and fight’... nothing much has changed actually.”

Crossing her arms in thought, Allison looks to Henry curiously

“What about getting everyone out? Do you know how to do that yet?”

“Er… not exactly. That part’s a bit complicated; according to the Ink demon, some kind of ‘key’ needs to pass through the gateway. Joey sounded pretty tense too when the idea was suggested as actually being possible .”

Allison gives him a look of confusion

“Joey? I thought you were talking to the Ink demon?”

“I was, but Joey was there too. I… don’t know for sure if he knew I was there or not, but he happened to be there.”

“Well, did you at least figure out what this ‘key’ is? And what will it do?”

Sighing, Henry looks at his solemn expression again in the seeing tool

“From what I was told, when the ‘key’ leaves through the gateway It’ll absolve this place and free everyone… but Joey did something to ensure that doesn’t happen. I don’t know what his ‘insurance’ he spoke of is, but he sounded confident about it. Also… I have a pretty good idea  _ who _ the key is.”

Allison frowns, uncrossing her arms 

“Who?... I’m guessing from your tone It’s you, Isn’t it?”

Henry nods, looking to her still with his solemn expression. Raising an eyebrow, she asks,

“Why the look? Is something wrong?”

“It’s just… I have to leave  _ everyone _ behind and have faith It’s the right thing to do. If it Isn’t… I’ll end up being alone on the outside while you’re all trapped. I don’t exactly like the odds…”

Allison moves closer to him, sitting on a nearby chair now giving him an empathetic look

“Henry… It’ll work. We have to believe it will. Even if it doesn’t, well… we can find another way; I’m sure of it.”

Sighing again softly, Henry looks down at the seeing tool in his hands

“I just wish I didn’t have to do it alone... I have to get through to break this- this ‘curse’ or whatever it is we’re stuck in, and  _ hope  _ it works. I don’t even know what to expect, or what the other side’ll be like…”

Allison gently places a hand on his shoulder, looking him in the eye

“You have to have faith. And, you won’t be alone; we’re with you every step of the way as much as we can be, okay? We’re going to  _ all  _ be free.”

Silently searching her eyes for a moment, Henry nods

“Alright. Everyone else needs to prepare soon as possible for what’s next though; we’re running out of time.”

Frowning, Allison straightens up as many, many eyes trained on Henry now. He felt a bit self conscious suddenly. Allison sounded a bit worried as she questioned him, too

“What do you mean by running out of time?”

“The Ink demon’s getting close. I he mentioned that he’d noticed us running around the theme park storage, so it won’t be long before he catches onto our trail. We need to be ready to leave soon before we’re caught and cornered because there’s nowhere left to hide.”

Bertrum buzzes over again, hovering high enough that the searchers grasping hands couldn’t reach him

“And how, pray tell, will you know when we’re ready exactly?”

Henry sighs, shrugging a bit

“That’s the thing; I won’t. None of us will, because I don’t think there’s anything we can do to fully prepare for what will happen. But we still need to do what we can, which means both physically and mentally preparing for a hard fight. If we’re lucky this’ll be the last time anyone has to ever fight again.”

Bertrum continues to hover a moment in silence before speaking again

“Spoken like a true leader, I’d say. You sound like someone we can trust, unlike that  _ horrid _ Joey Drew.”

Henry felt unsure, but smiles a little anyways

“I’m glad you think so… but I hope I don’t mislead anyone with where we’re going because at this point, even I can’t see the road ahead”

The two faced fisher came quickly waddling back over to Henry then, seeming somewhat pleased with itself as it was holding up a rusty pipe valve. Smiling, Henry gently takes it

“Thank you; this is perfect”

The fisher smiles with two mouths and hops from foot to foot happily making Henry smile more. He turns to Jack Fain, who was now clinging to a muttering Lacie’s leg

“Hey Jack, Look what I have for you”

Peeking from Lacie’s leg, the swollen searcher slowly turns to Henry more upon seeing the offered valve. Quickly snatching it away, he starts to chew on it aggressively seeming calmer already. The searcher had finally let go of Lacie as a result making Henry sigh in relief as he leans back a bit

“I’m really glad that worked…”

Sammy snorts, giving him a look

“How did you know it would?”

“Well, if you remember, I uh… had to take one from him before. I figured giving him a new one might help him feel better. We don’t have to tell him about earlier, though.”

While watching the searcher happily turn the valve in his hands and chew on it, Henry felt a hand rest on his shoulder. Looking over, he sees Allison smiling at him

“You’re doing great as a leader, Henry.”

Lacie huffs in amusement, crossing her arms

“Yeah, so far you’ve shown more compassion in a few minutes than Joey did in decades. You’ve got my vote.”

Henry smiles a bit nervously, holding up his hands

“Hey, there’s no need to vote me president or anything… I’m just trying to fix what I helped make wrong.”

Tom grunts from behind him, speaking up

“Still far more than Drew can say for himself. Hell… even I haven’t done enough to make up for my own part in this disaster. I’m just glad there’s a real chance I’ll be able to once we get out of here…”

Henry stands then, turning to the whole group

“Speaking of… It’s time to gear up. Anyone going with us will have to be ready to fight, and I mean  _ everyone _ .”

Bendy snorts, pointing at the tiny plane with Bertrum in it

“Even this thing??”

“Yes Bendy, even Bertrum.”

Lacie snorts herself before hollering with laughter. Once she calms down enough, she wheezes patting one leg leaning forward

“I-I’m sorry, just- Imaginin’ that tiny little thing with pea shooters or somethin’ is  _ killin’ _ me. Oh, man- Joey Drew, dyin’ at the hands of a little plane! Now  _ that _ I would love to see”

Bertrum scoffs, revving his plane motor

“Well, I don’t see why not!! I just need to be properly outfitted with the correct parts!”

Henry nods, glancing to Barley

“Barley, can you help with that? Anyone who needs upgrades for the fight will need your help”

The fisher nods back, turning to the rest of them

“Anyone with robotics and prosthetics should follow me. I can make you more battle-ready”

Bertrum chimes in happily,

“Come along, my dear Lacie, we need to get  _ you _ outfitted too”

As the tiny plane buzzes away after Barley, Lacie sighs starting to follow

“Why do I feel like i’m followin’ him to get dressed for some fancy-shmancy rich people’s gala instead of battle?…”

Tom snorts, following as well along with Edgar who briefly waves to Bendy as they leave. Bendy waves back with a little smile making Henry smile as well in amusement before looking over to Sammy and Norman

“So… While we prep here, do you guys want to fill me in on Norman almost dying? He looks different, too”

Sammy snorts, shaking his head as he starts getting up to grab tools

“Is there really much you need to know besides that?? To sum it up, Bertrum’s mechanical ride smashed him into the wall hard enough it broke parts of his projector. Barley fixed and cleaned him, so he looks different”

Norman shrugs, looking down over himself and tugging on his new bandana

“I don’t  _ feel  _ a whole lot different, but some of that extra weight and jangly wirin’ is off an’ it  _ does _ make me feel a bit better. This projector still ain’t light, though…”

Henry instinctively rubs his own neck in sympathy, grimacing

“Well, hopefully that doesn’t happen again. I’d hate to see what would happen if you fully broke your projector beyond repair...”

Sammy frowns at that, but Norman seemed unfazed by the thought as he scoffs a bit

“Hell, if anythin’, I could probably just pop on a new one. You said ya killed me before, didn’tcha? I’m still here, ain’t I?”

“I-I suppose…”

Henry also thought about how he’d done the same to Sammy who returned again later… it was odd how often they could easily just pop back out of the ink. This whole place seemed unstable and strange in its own ways, throwing the rules of reality to the wind.

Sammy sighs, looking over Norman

“Either way, don’t go testing that theory. I’d prefer keeping you  _ alive _ , you know.”

Norman chuckles, his projector head bobbing with the gesture

“Yeah yeah, I know…”

The projectionist makes mock kissy noises at Sammy who was collecting things to prep with, rolling his eyes but grinning.

Henry smiles a little at them, feeling glad he’d been able to bring them and their other friends together. Out of all the variations of the rewind he’d gone through, Henry liked this one the best for obvious reasons- but a few others too, including small things like these. 

Sammy returns closer to them with various tools in his hands then, awkwardly hugging Norman trying not to hit him with them before giving Henry a funny look

“...Okay, Henry, I really can’t take you seriously with marker smeared on your face like that. We really need to get that off.”

Blinking, Henry huffs a small laugh rubbing at some of it

“I almost forgot... I’d actually appreciate that. We don’t exactly have water here, though… any ideas?”

“Well… It’s just another form of ink, Isn’t it? Can’t you pull it off?”

“Oh. huh… that’d make sense, actually. Let’s see…”

Carefully, Henry taps into the weird buzzing energy inside him, still not quite used to the feeling. Slowly making a pulling gesture over his face nothing happened. Frowning, he furrows his brow before Norman speaks

“It’s kinda dried on. Maybe you could use some wet ink on it?”

Sammy clasps his hands together making the tools clank, beaming now

“Oh, like a good mud-mask!”

Henry snorts, raising an eyebrow

“Mud mask? Alright… I’ll try it.”

Using a blob of ink now, Henry took a breath before pressing his face into its cold sliminess. Making the same pulling motion, he felt it slide off his face in a rather unpleasant way; if this was what mud masks were like, he wasn’t sure how anyone found them enjoyable.

Lifting his head back up, Henry shakes it off and breathes again

“...Well? Did it work?”

Sammy furrows his brow, frowning now. That did not encourage him.

“You got most of it, but there’s some lines on your left cheek still.”

“What? Really?” 

Henry rubs over his cheek trying to wipe it away, only to pause as he slowly realizes he could  _ feel _ them. Running his fingers over the lines, Henry felt a lump in his throat. Suddenly he remembered something he’d somehow forgotten.

“Oh no.”

Sammy blinks, both him and Norman looking confused

“Oh no?? It’s just some ink marks from a marker...”

Holding his cheek, Henry frowns 

“No, they’re not. They’re scars. Remember when the Ink demon pretended to be Bendy and clawed my face?...”

Sammy seemed to catch on then, looking how Henry felt with an expression of distress

“Y-You’ve got to be kidding me! You don’t mean??...”

“I do. I think whatever’s happening to my shoulder is now  _ also  _ on my face…”

Norman huffs, standing up straight now

“Dammit, as if things weren’t bad enough! Why do these things keep happenin’?? You don’t even deserve this!”

Sammy takes hold of Norman trying to calm him, but swallows hard himself questioning Henry

“What if it infects your eye and blinds you?”

Norman scoffs, muttering

“Or goes straight to yer brain and kills you?...”

Henry grimaces, holding his cheek tighter. Sammy gently punches Norman before frowning at Henry

“I-It’ll be fine, I’m sure it will be! We’ll find a way to fix it! You’ve been fine so far, right?...”

Henry shakes his head, feeling distraught

“No, not really. I can barely deal with the infection in my shoulder as it is… but on my  _ face? _ I-I don’t know... I don’t know what to do”

Both Sammy and Norman move around him now, trying to give encouraging words and help him feel better, but Henry was panicking. His shoulder was already so painful and difficult to handle, what if Norman was right and it spread through his head and killed him?

His thoughts were cut short however as a low rumbling caused him and everyone else to pause and look around. Slowly, it grew louder until everything began to shake violently, tossing many people and objects around the place causing panic. In the chorus of shouts and things crashing around, Henry found himself falling and hitting the floor on his hands and knees. Trying to hold himself steady in one spot, he was finding it rather difficult.

As the shaking began to slow down, he carefully stood back up while looking around to the panicked crowd. Quickly, he shouted to try and calm them

“IT’S ALRIGHT, EVERYONE! Things’ll shake up a bit now and then, but It’s okay! It passes quickly, so just hold on and you’ll be alright!”

True to his word, the rumbling subsided soon after to his relief. All around, the warehouse had become an even bigger mess due to scattered debris and newly bursted ink pipes the butcher gang clones were already working to reseal. However, something felt… off. The air around them felt almost as if it had a thin static charge making his hair stand on end.

Frowning and taking a step forward, Henry muttered mostly to himself,

“...What the  _ hell? _ ”

Suddenly, the shaking came back full force causing Henry to stumble forward and fall over again. Grunting loudly from the impact, he propped himself on his forearms only to see the most bizarre thing he’d witnessed yet- which was saying something considering.

All around him the very air was buzzing with energy and looked as if it had fractured like glass, light pouring through the breaks so bright it hurt his eyes. 

Sitting up carefully in the quake and holding out his hands, Henry slowly managed to get to his feet but quickly stumbled back to his knees again. The cracks were growing longer and wider until the ‘shards’ of light fizzled like TV static, only to start displaying an array of different windows through what seemed to be reality itself.

Henry could hardly believe his eyes.

Each fragment had become a window of some sort through which he found he was able to actually put his arm. They showed various parts of the studio, but something was...  _ different  _ inside them. They didn’t feel familiar, despite clearly being the same studio.

Getting closer, Henry peered through the nearest one only to flinch and nearly fall backwards as he was met with another face. Through the fracture Henry was staring at an unfamiliar man who looked his age- well, past age when he was older- and was just as startled as he was. What the hell was going on??

“Wh-Who are you??”

The man through the fracture hole stared silently for a long moment before speaking with  _ his _ voice, simply older

“I was about to ask  _ you _ that... why do you sound like  _ me? _ What’s going on??”

“I-I don’t know! I don’t know anything, I just-”

Before their conversation got very far, the fracture was pushed shut by a different one making Henry back away.

As the world continued violently shaking around him, Henry looked around frantically at the spreading cracks in a panic. Had he actually broken the dimension like Joey had warned him?? Was this the plan Joey had to stop him- breaking the dimension apart entirely? 

Behind him, he heard a chaotic laughter that made him flinch and turn. There were cracks and holes  _ everywhere, _ and the one behind him showed a gruesome scene of some unfamiliar man with Joey’s voice committing what looked like murder. The man smiled at him, a wild look in his eyes as he raised a bloody axe.

Swallowing, Henry moved away from it only to see through another hole that had a whole staff of what looked like a cross between humans and Bendy characters. They seemed depressed and too busy to somehow notice what was going on. All around he realized he must be seeing into other  _ dimensions _ . But how?? What had happened? Was he responsible for this?

Suddenly, many different limbs of various kinds started to claw at the holes as if trying to get out of their dimensions making Henry flinch. 

Sitting upright now, he began to feel nauseated as his head was spinning while everything was still shaking. There was some distant echoing noise like a reel clattering on a projector threatening to fall off while the air filled with static pops and clicks a lot like a burning film would. All of it was making him start to curl into a ball, covering his ears and squeezing his eyes shut; it was too much. He wanted it to go away. He wanted it to stop. It was so overwhelming and he wanted more than anything for all the noise and fear to just  _ leave _ . 

Whether it was the room or himself shaking anymore, Henry couldn’t tell; all he could do now was yell at the top of his lungs.

Feeling his chest burning as if a white hot metal poker had been stabbed into it, he inhaled sharply with a gasp before opening his eyes and finding everything had gone very still and silent. There were no fractures, cracks, lights, or holes. There were no alternate realities spilling into theirs, or arms trying to grasp him. They were safe again.

Breathing heavily, Henry looked down at his chest where Bendy’s soul half slowly stopped glowing; had he used it to stop the fracture? Either way, he felt winded and suddenly very exhausted and ill. His eyes were burning with tears along with his lungs, likely from the sheer terror he’d just been in.

Blinking them away and taking more deep breaths, he rose to his feet shakily before calling out hoarsely

“Is everyone okay?... Did anyone get hurt?”

To his relief, everyone began peering out from behind the various shelters they’d taken, looking mostly surprised if anything. Bendy quickly ran over to him looking quite terrified, clinging to his leg and shaking as much as Henry. Allison calls out back to him,

“I-I think everyone’s alright... there’s a few minor injuries, but otherwise It’s just a mess in here.”

Walking over to Henry now, her eyes were wide with both awe and fear. Everyone looked as shaken as the studio around them.

“What…  _ was _ that?”

Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Henry gently picked up Bendy to hold the demon tight who returned the favor.

“I.. I-I don’t know. I mean, I have a guess- but I’m not sure… I think… I think those were other dimensions? I think  _ that _ was the insurance Joey mentioned. He wasn’t lying... he warned me…”

Allison frowns, looking serious now as she steps closer

“Henry, breathe; what’s going on? What did Joey say to you?”

Watching the others start to gather around in various states of dishevelment, Henry sighs shakily

“He… he told me that by breaking away from the script he’d made for this dimension we were making it unstable. He said if I kept going the direction I was that I’d cause the whole place to collapse and fall apart. I-I didn’t know It’d do  _ this _ …”

Tom scoffs, looking around the place and shaking his head as his collar speaker crackles

“Of all the bastardized magic shit I’ve seen Joey do, I’ve  _ never _ seen somethin’ like  _ that _ . Whatever that was, it was serious.”

Henry swallows, holding Bendy close still as the demon whimpers

“H-Henry, we gotta get o-outta here before it’s too late…”

Gently stroking the back of Bendy’s head now, Henry nods while silently looking into the distance

“We will. We’re not going to let that happen again… I’ll make sure we get out of here. Promise.”

Bendy nods a little, keeping his face pressed to Henry’s shoulder. Looking back to the others, Henry frowns

“We’re  _ really _ running out of time now. As soon as we get organized we’re getting the hell out of here. I don’t want to stick around to see what will happen if those fractures actually break through the next time”

The group nodded in agreement before hurrying to reorganize and regain themselves. Henry followed after, wanting to gear up himself too, but he also didn’t want to let go of Bendy either.

Whatever he’d just witnessed, he was sure it was only a small glimpse into what may be infinite variations of whatever world they were in. The thought was both incredible but terrifying; the idea that there were so many versions of not just himself, but the very world they lived in. He wasn’t sure what to make of it anymore.

One thing was for certain, though; he wanted to make sure their dimension didn’t persist as one of them if he had the power to stop it. Whether those other worlds were worse, he wasn’t sure, but he  _ was  _ sure that theirs wasn’t good. He had to put an end to their hell.

A thought was pressing his mind, however; what kind of stories did all those other versions have? What kind of lives were they living, and what was different about them? Were they suffering like him and his friends, or better off?

At the very least he hoped they’d all get to have their own happy endings.


	57. Work In Progress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trying to prepare for the fight, Henry is instead pulled off track as Joey sends him through different scripts to try and distract him. Fighting back with his own power however, Henry manages to break the illusion to find himself elsewhere entirely- but thankfully with his friends still. Proceeding as intended, they find a new secret to the machine even bigger than they'd ever imagined...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mild unreality, mild horror description

* * *

After the shock of nearly losing reality, everyone seemed anxious and on edge as if it would come back at any moment. Henry couldn’t blame them for it when he was too; the feeling was rather similar to roaming the halls in fear of the Ink demon showing up. Despite it however, they’d still continued their efforts of preparation, and were ready as they could be to face Joey- at least, that’s what Henry believed. Hopefully they’d soon escape and never have to worry about such things again.

In their preparation, Barley had given Betrum’s plane better mechanics so it wouldn’t short out along with actual weaponry that had put holes through the wall- a lot more than ‘peashooters’. Lacie Was equipped with similar but stronger fire power, along with extra strength enhancements and tools to help her fight and shield either herself or others. Edgar and Tom had prosthetic upgrades, their arms multi capable now; Edgar’s extendable arm had a grappling hook function (much to the striker’s delight), and Tom’s arm was stronger than ever with a built in mini saw. 

The rest of them had geared up with various weapons and tools accordingly along with any searchers, lost ones, and butcher gang clones who were willing to fight with them. Surprisingly, they had quite a few people willing to fight on their side; perhaps the fact none of them could really die helped with that, though. Either way Henry was glad to have any amount of assistance they could get.

The rest meanwhile were staying behind and had to wait with the hope that they’d soon be freed. Henry hoped that nothing would happen to them either, as they were more afraid than ever.

Now, it was time to face what he felt was going to be the last fight he’d hopefully ever have to be in. The fight wasn’t his intention or goal, however; it was merely one aspect of the end he was aiming for. The real goal would be getting the soul filled amulet away from Joey, releasing the Ink demon’s soul half, then opening the gateway to exit the machine. The plan was still a bit fuzzy on exact details, but they’d discussed ideas and possibilities.

To get the amulet, they were planning to hopefully pickpocket it before Joey realized their intentions. If he realized too early, he could easily use the bits to puppet them away from it which would become near impossible to counter. Once it was secured, Henry would break it to reduce Joey’s power and free all of them of anyone’s control- then he could use the spell to free the Ink demon and Bendy’s souls from both Joey and himself.

Once Joey no longer had any control, they’d secure him out of the way and get the soul shard powering the ink machine to fully reunite Bendy and the Ink demon’s soul. With that, they’d open the gateway out of the dimension, and Henry would pass through effectively (and hopefully) freeing them all.That was the plan, at least.

It seemed straightforward, but the amount of variables and unknowns made it sound impossibly difficult when factored in. Henry was also worried that Joey had tricks up his sleeve they hadn’t seen yet, and was not eager to find out; at this point however they didn’t have any other options. The wheel they all had been trapped running circles on for ages was finally coming loose, and if they didn’t get off in time they’d all be going down with it.

Taking a deep breath, Henry rose from a cot he’d been taking a brief rest on before rejoining everyone else. They all looked rather nervous and unsure, but shared an air of determination despite it. Nodding to them, Henry speaks;

“Alright. This is it, then; it’s time to make our way to the end of things. We’re going to give it all we’ve got, and we’re going to win. Let’s show Joey that he’s not the one who gets to write the ending anymore. You guys ready?”

The others gave various forms of agreement before a voice from behind him spoke up, chilling him

“ _ I know I certainly am… _ ”

Quickly turning, Henry stares at the menacing smirk of the Ink demon who was holding a radio in his hands. All around, butcher gang clones, searchers, and lost ones were fleeing in fear from him as Joey’s voice crackled through the radio

“Well well, Henry… I have to say this was quite the clever place to hide, but now you have nowhere left to go.” 

Glaring and taking a stance now, Henry faces the Ink demon with a surprising calm.

“I’m not planning on hiding anymore. We’re coming and taking your control away, and putting an end to this.”

“Really? I wouldn’t be so sure… Listen Henry, I can  _ rewrite! _ I can twist things right before your eyes! But, it doesn’t have to be that way. I’m a man of deals, and I have one to offer you; I’d listen carefully if I were you.”

Clenching his fists, Henry stood his ground

“I’m not making any deals with the  _ devil _ . Even demons are less evil than you.”

A heavy sigh rattled through the radio, and Henry could hear Bendy snicker from behind him. Joey continued, sounding irritated

“Listen,  _ you. _ When you come to the ink machine you’ll have  _ three _ choices. Either you take the end reel and reset things back to the way they were, I  _ force _ you to do so... or, you’ll have to face a nightmare worse than this. It won’t just be a fight, no… you’ll lose  _ everything _ . You’ve seen it, haven’t you? What happens the longer you stray away?...”

Henry frowns, remembering the fractures. As if Joey could see his face, he responds;

“Exactly. If you continue down this path of yours, you’ll not only destroy this dimension, but  _ everyone _ in it! You’re selfishly risking everything and everyone for some false hopes of ‘freedom’! Is it really worth it? What’ll it be, Henry? Will you set things back the way they should be, or kill your little group of friends and everyone in the studio  _ permanently _ ?”

Clenching his teeth, Henry took a step forward glaring at the radio

“Things were never as they ‘should be’ in the first place! I’d sooner rather die for good than return to your endless purgatory! We’re going to win, and you’re in no place to be making offers. You’re scared of losing, so you’re pretending to be confident you won’t- but I’m not buying it. We’re coming… and when we get there, you’ll learn to regret the past more than ever.”

Once again, the radio sighs

“Always so stubborn in your ways… so be it. You’ll come to your senses soon enough. But first, you said something about not getting to write the ending?… Maybe I won’t write the  _ ending _ , but I sure can control the  _ script _ ”

At that, the Ink demon’s grin twitched. The Ink demon, Henry realized, wasn’t actually grinning at all; he was  _ sneering _ , and seemed irritated. He knew something, and was clearly displeased with it. 

Before Henry could ask, the radio buzzes one last time

“Why don’t we explore some of the scrapped stories you saw on my storyboard? I can show you how much  _ worse _ things could be...”

Furrowing his brow, Henry opened his mouth to speak when he felt the ground shake beneath them again. The last thing he heard was Allison shouting his name before things suddenly changed.

Feeling as if he were floating, Henry couldn’t see anything around him whatsoever in a sudden strange darkness, but he could hear what sounded like a projector reeling in the distance. Flailing, he tried to find some kind of solid ground when his feet hit a surface. Stumbling to his hands and knees, Henry sat upright, looking around frantically as the inky darkness dissolved. Slowly, it revealed what looked like the room Sammy had tied him up in ages ago...

Cautiously standing, he turned in slow circles while calling out for the others

“Guys?? Bendy? Sammy?? Anyone??? Where are you?!”

From behind him, he hears Sammy’s voice 

“I’m right here…”

“Oh thank goodness, what’s going on?-”

When Henry turns, he flinches with a pause upon seeing Sammy. He  _ was _ Sammy, but he wasn’t  _ the  _ Sammy he’d just been with; he was wearing his mask and made of ink again. Around them, the studio rumbled as the music director raised an axe with a dark chuckle

“My my, seems my sheep has escaped… how irritating. I may just have to put you down  _ myself _ ”

Flinching, Henry quickly dodged as Sammy swung his axe and embedded it into the wall. Backing away, Henry watched as the music director angrily grunted and pulled on it before wedging it free again, swinging it back over his head

“Stand still, and accept your fate,  _ sheep! _ ”

Shaking his head, Henry turned and ran down the hall with the now angry ink Sammy chasing him 

“Joey, what the hell is this?! What did you  _ do?! _ ”

Reaching the ink flooded room, Henry skid to a halt remembering what happened when he got too close. The music director wasn’t slowing down however, and would soon be upon him. Turning to face Sammy, Henry braced himself for what he was about to do. As soon as the angry music director gotclose enough, he grabs him around the waist to the man’s surprise, making him shout

“hOW DARE YOU- UNHAND ME AT ONCE, OR I’LL CUT YOUR HEAD OFF-”

Heaving Sammy into the air, Henry grunts with the effort before slamming him to the floor

“Sammy,  _ snap out of it!! _ ”

All around them, Joey’s disembodied laughter echoed along with his voice, irritating Henry

“There’s nothing for him to snap out of! He Isn’t  _ your _ Sammy; that one Isn’t here anymore!”

Feeling a cold fear that Joey might have so easily erased everyone and everything they’d done, he clenched his teeth before yelling and throwing Sammy into the inky room. The music director flails and shouts, splashing into the flood of ink.

Immediately Henry could hear the dark heartbeat of the Ink demon; Sammy could too, and was sitting up while shaking with horror

“M-M-My lord! Please, it wasn’t me- it was  _ him! _ F-Forgive me, I-”

To Henry’s shock the ink burst to life with hundreds of inky hands grasping the now screaming music director as they pulled him down into the ink. With his silence, the heartbeat only grew louder while the ink bubbled menacingly.

Starting to back away, Henry flinches when the ink bursts again to reveal something that was  _ not _ the Ink demon, but in his opinion, far more disturbing. Before him was some ink amalgamation of a creature that had the Ink demon’s head on its shoulders, but next to it was  _ Bendy’s _ head, half of which was melting.

As he continued to back away, the almost eldritch creature reached out a dripping hand as its voice spoke, a cold disturbing combination of the Ink demon’s and Bendy’s in unison;

“ _ What’s the matter, Henry? Afraid? _ ”

Panicking and indeed afraid, Henry boled fast as he could down the hall not waiting any longer. The further he ran with cruel laughter following him, the darker the world was becoming again making him panic more. Soon, it was changing shape again, and he wasn’t looking forward to whatever would come next; how was Joey doing this?? How could he break free from it?

Slowly, he could hear some strange din of noise beginning to grow louder… it sounded like… fighting? He wasn’t sure from where, but as he continued running forward in the dark, it was getting closer.

Bursting through a shut door, Henry skid to halt in confusion and surprise as he entered a massive room he recognized as the butcher gang clone factory. Now however, it wasn’t swarmed with just clones, but an all out  _ war _ . Startled at the sounds of gunfire, the flashing from the firearms lit up random parts of the swarming mass of fighting. Backing away and feeling for the door out, Henry found it had vanished and he was now trapped.

Nearby, a group of angry butcher gang clones spotted him and start charging with various sharp looking weapons he did  _ not _ want to be a part of. Climbing up some crates, he narrowly kicked away a reaching striker before jumping onto a chain and struggling to climb. The higher he got, the more of a view he had; lost ones, searchers, clones of both Boris and the butcher gang… they were quite literally at war.

Below, he could barely make out some unique figures amongst the masses; one of them was what looked like Susie back to her half melted form, firing her Tommy gun while Allison sliced her sword through searchers. Boris clones seemed to be trying to help, but to his dismay they were being torn apart quite easily all over.

Pushing down his worry and nausea, Henry focused on trying to get further away as more butcher gang clones were trying to stack on one another to reach him. Swinging, he narrowly gained a foothold on one of the catwalks before letting go and watching the chain smack the stack knocking them down. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he looked down again to see that the other side had none other than the Ink demon standing like a terrible beacon amongst a writhing pool of ink that was generating more and more enemies. 

No matter the amount of fighting power, his friends were going to be overwhelmed; he had to stop it somehow.

“HEY! UP HERE!”

Unfortunately, his voice wasn’t nearly enough to project over the sheer volume of fighting. Joey’s voice spoke again, making him wish he had ear plugs

“Aww, funny how you think that’d work! What’ll you do now, Henry? How will you save them??”

Looking around, Henry grunted with irritation before pulling his empty special ink bottle from his pocket. Frowning, he took a deep breath before throwing it hard as he could... 

...right at the Ink demon.

With a glassy clunk, it ricocheted right off the demon’s head making him snarl and whip his head around to look directly at Henry. The brief moment of euphoria from the shot quickly vanished when the Ink demon started rising up with an ink pillar, much like the time they’d tried to trap him in a jar. 

Henry looks upwards however, shouting,

“Joey!! I’m not going to let you  _ win! _ None of this is real; I  _ know  _ it!”

Receiving no response, Henry turned back to see the Ink demon heading right for him with claws outstretched. Grimacing, he flailed his arms and started running down the catwalk away from him

“Oh god oh god- What do I do, what do I do?! What would  _ Bendy  _ do?? He’d say something stupid! Not helpful! I have to- I have to…”

Skidding to a halt at a dead end, Henry stares before whipping around to see the Ink demon coming.

“Bendy would use magic”

Closing his eyes tightly and clenching his teeth, Henry tried everything he could to use teleportation like Bendy. The little demon made it seem so easy, but the old artist always struggled with the oddities of magic. He had to feel the pipes… follow them, then open a way out.

Opening his eyes last second, Henry practically squeaked as the Ink demon swiped at him, but the demon was a moment too late as Henry suddenly plummeted through an ink puddle. Flailing and feeling his stomach flip, Henry cursed himself for having to do it again so soon while quickly trying to find an exit point. One opened up without him trying however, much to his dismay; it was likely Joey’s doing.

Flying out of the inky hole in the floor, Henry grunts as he hits a wall from the momentum, slumping to the hard floor. Groaning, he sits up rubbing his head

“What now?...”

What he saw however was certainly not something he’d expect. Especially from Joey. He was in what looked like the amusement park area, but wider and more open. All around things were oddly…  _ peaceful? _

Bertrum’s ride had many butcher gang clones riding on it, all gleefully squabbling as they were spun around. Several Boris’ were in a band playing music, while nearby the projectionist was playing cartoons for a large mixed audience. All over, searchers had rather silly looking hats, but even weirder yet was Sammy fishing… with the  _ Ink demon _ . A loud creaking took his attention however as he turned to see  _ beast Bendy  _ riding on a rope swing.

Staring flabbergasted with a face Henry felt would’ve been classified as a caricature of disturbed confusion, he couldn’t begin to take in what he was seeing. 

“...What the  _ Hell?! _ ”

Joey’s voice pipes up again, sounding a bit flustered almost

“No, Damn it- that’s not the one I meant to use! I thought I got rid of- don’t look! It’s stupid, I know!”

Still looking around at the honestly rather creepy happy version of the studio, Henry turned only to have the illusion a bit broken upon seeing a more cartoony version of Susie happily singing while cutting open an also smiling Boris. Yeah… that was surprisingly more normal to him.

Suddenly, everything washed back to inky darkness, but Henry wasn’t about to sit back and wait for Joey to drop him into another twisted storyline. Quickly, he reached out his hands and focused as much as he could on Bendy’s energy that was still inside him; hopefully, that meant the little demon was still somewhere safe and sound.

Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, he knew that using too much would be dangerous- but he  _ had _ to combat Joey. Even if it came close to killing him, he couldn’t let Joey keep winning due to his own recklessness with power. 

Letting the soul’s energy make his limbs buzz to the point his ears were ringing, Henry opened his eyes again to find his arms and chest were glowing like a beacon in the emptiness. He could see wispy shadows of ink repelled by a light surrounding him like he was in some kind of a  _ ball _ ?

Clenching his hands into fists, he tried to expand the ball of light to dispel the darkness he was trapped in. Slowly, the wisps began to burn off and fade, and soon Henry could see the floor not far beneath him. He was still inside the studio but trapped in what he figured might’ve been some kind of magic illusion.

Pushing harder, Henry felt short of breath as his lungs and chest began burning with physical heat, the soul becoming hard to bear. He had to push through though, and he could feel the darkness fighting back as Joey’s voice chastised him

  
“What do you think you’re doing?! You  _ really _ think you can overpower me?! You may be able to just barely stave off my power, but you can’t forever!”

Breathing rapidly now with an increasing heart rate, Henry furrowed his brow

“I don’t have to- overpower- just- outlast! You’ve gotta get tired too at some point!”

Hearing audible frustration, Henry couldn’t help but smirk a little as he was likely correct. He frowns however at Joey’s next response;

“I’ll  _ force _ you to let go, then- with your own  _ soul! _ ”

Bracing himself, Henry prepared to lose control of his own will and be forced to sickeningly act as a puppet. However, moments passed and he felt nothing happen. 

Frowning and a bit curious, he calls out,

“Was something supposed to happen??”

Still, more time passed and he felt nothing happen before Joey’s voice returned with angry frustration

“How! How is it not affecting you?! I should’ve been able to- no… no! Where is it?!  _ How _ ?!”

Slowly, the dark was dissolving more to Henry’s relief as he was beginning to lose the strength to fight it. Joey sounded a bit frantic though which made him curious; what was going on?

“Damn you, Stein! I don’t know how you did it but it won’t change ANYTHING! I still have control of your friends, you hear me?! This is still MY studio!”

Taking advantage of the panic, Henry quickly forced hard as he could against Joey’s control around him. Quickly, the darkness broke with a rushing sensation both around and within his own body as if the wind was knocked out of him. Before he could react however, it came rushing back full force making him yell as he was absorbed by it.

Flinching and opening his eyes still yelling, Henry looked around in a panic only to find he was laying on a cold metal floor. Sitting up, he found he’d wound up inside the ink machine’s entry hall somehow. How had he gotten here?? He had a dark feeling he was being brought closer and into the machine the whole time he’d been running in the illusions, perhaps accidentally on his own will.

Suddenly, a painful burning and throbbing started up both over his cheek and left upper chest and shoulder. Gasping from it, Henry clutched at both while clenching his teeth and eyes shut tightly waiting for it to subside. It felt agonizingly slow as it faded, and left him very sore.

Frowning, Henry checked inside his shirt to find the dark infection had come right back as if he’d never removed it. Pulling out the seeing tool, he found the lines over his cheek had darkened and spread a bit through his veins too. Though it wasn’t a good sign, he had to focus on what was more important.

Getting up quickly, he hurried to the exit of the machine where he was greeted with the crowd of everyone else on the other side of the ink river. Many armed lost ones, searchers, and butcher gang clones surrounded the main group who were in front and looking rather worried until they saw him. Immediately, Bendy hopped up and down before jumping towards the ink. Henry flinched, holding out his arms only for the demon to come running over its surface and jump into them.

Stumbling a bit, Henry hugged the little demon tightly and rather gladly; Bendy returned the gesture, almost practically shouting

“Henry!! We all thought the demon gotcha ‘cause he pulled ya under with him into the ink!! How’d ya get out?!”

Frowning, Henry shook his head

“I-I don’t know. It wasn’t easy though, and it hurts to breathe. How did you know to find me here?”

“We didn’t! After ya vanished, we just figured we should keep goin’ just in case. Sure enough, here ya are!”

“Well, guess we’re both lucky then…”

“Wait, what’s wrong with yer face??”   
  
Henry sighed, closing his eyes for a moment   
  
“More infection. Doesn’t matter right now though”

“Doesn’t matter?! That’s bad!! I think bein’ in the ink with the Ink demon sped it up!”   
  


“Either way, we don’t have the time or means to fix it right now. We’ll figure it out after this.”

Bendy looked upset and unsure still and Henry wanted to comfort him but he was pretty afraid himself. His attention was drawn away however as across the ink Allison was waving and calling out

“Henry! We’re glad you’re okay, but can you help us cross?”

Nodding, he looks to Bendy 

“Mind helping out?”

The demon blinks before snorting

“I warned ya not ta rely on me fer favors… buuut, maybe this one time.”

Grinning a little, Henry watched as the ink parted to create a dry path for the others to get through. He recalled how the last time doing so had made the demon tire out quite a bit, but this time he seemed to be doing better; perhaps he was getting stronger? 

Quickly, the others started hopping down and running for the machine’s entrance thankfully not wasting time. Henry stepped aside to let the group filter in through the narrow doorway as it soon it was starting to feel crowded in the entrance halls. Once they were all through with Lacie being the last one to clank inside, Bendy released the ink letting it rush back into place with a splash.

Setting the demon down, Henry stepped forward feeling determined despite his nervousness at what was next

“Alright, this is it for  _ real _ this time. There’s no turning back from here. I can’t tell you what to expect, but we can be sure of one thing… we’re going to get out of this place for good.”

To his surprise, he was met with resounding cheers from the gathered crowd that made the machine echo loudly and hurt his ears a bit. Shaking it off a little, he turns to face the doors leading to the throne room

“Through those doors is our last stand for freedom. Are you all ready?”

With a sniff, Tom looks to him curiously

“Are you?”

Frowning a little, Henry looks down for a moment before meeting his gaze

“I don’t think I could ever truly be, but I’m not backing down no matter what.”

Tom grins a bit at that, nodding

“Glad to hear it.”

Bendy hops onto Henry’s back from behind, making him startle a little as the demon spoke

“Then what’re we waitin’ for?? The suspense is killin’ me!”

Next to him, Sammy sighs nervously

“I actually have to agree with him on that one. Waiting is the worst part”

Walking towards the doors through the crowd, Henry became rather serious- now more than ever. It felt like he was about to open the gates to Hell itself.

“Before we go in, there’s a few things everyone should remember first starting with the obvious. One, don’t touch the ink; It’ll either hurt you or pull you in. Two, don’t let the demon claw you. You’d think that one’s obvious, but there’s some repercussions from it far past injury. And three, don’t lose hope. Even if it gets intense, terrifying, and dangerous, hope is the one thing that’ll keep us together- it’s what we have against them. Do you all understand?”

The crowd gave quiet acknowledgement before Henry nodded back a little, turning to face the doors again

“Down the demon’s corridor to the pit of Hell it is then.”

Grasping the lever, Henry felt Bendy squeeze him a little as he pulled it. Slowly, the large metal double doors wrenched open as the metallic clanking of its gears echoed amongst the din of machinery. Inside, Henry was amazed to find that what  _ was _ the throne room was completely empty; the chair, projectors, and everything were  _ gone _ . Confused and cautious, he slowly stepped forward only pausing when Sammy nervously calls out

“Wait! What if this is a trap??”

Briefly looking over his shoulder, Henry frowns

“Then we walk into it. Not much of a choice”

Sammy frowns back, looking to Norman who shrugs. Once more, Henry slowly steps into the center of the room where the throne had been- but nothing was happening. The others began to make their way in too then, looking around in confusion.

Allison moves up next to him furrowing her brow

“This doesn’t make sense… It’s just… empty.”

Lacie snorts, clanking over to him as well

“Was expecting some grand greeting like screeching teeth in my face.”

Bertrum buzzes over, making a rather impressive balanced landing on her head

“Perhaps It’s better we  _ didn’t _ get such a greeting.”

Once the last of them had gotten inside however, the doors suddenly slammed shut. Immediately Sammy shouts;

“SEE?! I TOLD YOU, IT’S A TRAP!”

The room darkened then, making them all look around nervously before Henry pulled out his seeing tool and turned it on. The ring of light from it was dim, but provided something at least besides the harsh flickering of Norman’s lens. The many fearful eyes made Henry already feel a bit guilty at bringing them into this, but there was no going back now.

With a loud metallic clank, the floor shifted making everyone give various shouts of surprise before it started  _ sinking _ . Struck with realization, Henry mused out loud;

“Of course… It’s an  _ elevator _ . It all makes sense now-  _ that’s _ why we never found him…  _ that’s _ why the room could rotate the throne, and the ink drained away.”

Tom shakes his head, looking to the floor

“I don’t know who the hell put that in, but it wasn’t me; that’s for sure. I would’ve known otherwise.”

Susie shakes her head, crossing her arms

“The blueprints didn’t show one either. Something tells me it was an addition Joey didn’t want anyone knowing about but him.”

Henry looks at the grated floor into the dark abyss they were descending down trying to make out anything below to no avail

“Something tells me we’re not going to like what we do find.”

The further down they went, the louder the sounds of the machine were getting. Wherever the elevator was taking them, was clearly full of many mechanics which lead Henry to believe they were entering the main core. 

Slowly, the walls began showing grates they could see through that showed bright various lights flickering poorly over pipes and wiring. They casted ominous shadows in the elevator shaft and gave Henry a bad vibe as if the situation hadn’t already. Bendy was squeezing him tighter still, seeming more nervous the further they got. Frowning, Henry looks to him

“What’s up bud?...”

“I don’t like where we’re goin’...”

“Do you know about it?”

“No, but some parta me just  _ knows _ It’s bad news. We’re goin’ to the heart a’ the machine”

Henry recalled then what Bendy had said about the pipes and machine acting much like Bendy’s own heart, and how they’d have to stop it to escape. It worried him but they didn’t have any other options.

Next to him, Edgar gently poked him while looking at Bendy. Blinking, Henry realizes what he wanted before crouching so the striker could speak closer to the demon. Bendy frowns, looking to him

“Whaddya want, Ed?”

“I just wanted to say that no matter what happens now… I’m glad I got to meet you. Though this studio has been nothing but Hell for me and everyone else… I appreciate our crossing of paths.”

Bendy blinks before he looks almost on the verge of tears

“Aww, Ed… don’t make it sound like we’re gonna die!”

Henry could feel the demon lean off of him to hug the striker who sputters a bit

“I-I did not mean it like that, I just-”

“Yer just a big ol’ sap, even if ya deny it.”

Huffing, the striker tensed a bit

“I just wanted to express as much beforehand-”

“Still sounds like ya expect us ta die!”

“Well, it’s just- it’s just-”

“In case?”

Pausing, Edgar sounded defeated then

“...Perhaps.”

Holding onto Henry again, Bendy snorts

“Like Henry said, we gotta hold onto hope- even if It’s super sappy. But thanks, Ed”

Henry smiles, the striker nodding and actually smiling a little in return. Looking around though it was dark and difficult to see, Henry could tell their friends were smiling too. Well, minus Sammy who seemed like he wanted to run away.

Standing up again, Henry sighs

“Wonder how long It’ll take to reach the bottom…”

As if answering him, the floor plate clanked to a landing platform finally.

“Ah. guess that long.”

Bendy snickered a little, but quickly went quiet along with the whole crowd as two large doors to the elevator started to screech open similar to the previous set from above. The wider they got, the more Henry was amazed yet again but this time at a  _ lack _ of emptiness.

The room beyond the elevator was a massive twisted cavern of machinery- everywhere they looked pipes were twisting around one another like a winding maze, similar to overgrown roots that all lead to the center. It was shaped like an orange in a sense, being spherical but sectioned with all the pipes veining their way into an equally impressive cylindrical pillar in the center. Near the ceiling, a round bubble like structure sat on the pillar which held the brightest source of light in the mostly dark machine. The light looked like a several foot long shard cut through the air itself and was so bright Henry found it difficult to look at directly.

“Is that?...”

Bendy pipes up then, nodding

“Yup. That’s the soul shard.”

Charley waddles over, exclaiming,

“It’s huge! I thoughtcha said it was just a sliver??”

“It is.”

“Then how did an almost full half fit in Henry??”

“Ta be honest with ya?? I have no flippin’ idea.”

Blinking, Henry looks over his shoulder to him

“Wait… how… how  _ big _ is your soul??”

“Let’s just say It’s a lot more impressive  _ outside  _ a body.”

Shaking his head, Henry turned his attention back to the heart of the machine. The floor everywhere below a certain level was flooded with ink that was pumping in and out of pipes and grates, reflecting the light. Before the elevator directly was a flat square of raised floor, serving as a sort of platform on which he now walked out onto.

Slowly, the others began to leave the elevator with Allison coming up beside him again

“I don’t understand; why would he bring us here? Isn’t this the last place he would’ve wanted us to be?”

Looking down at the flooding ink everywhere, Henry shakes his head

“No… I think we’re exactly where he wants us to be.”

Norman scoffs, passing his beam over the glittering metal machinery everywhere he looked

“Then where the hell’s Drew? Shouldn’t he be here rambling on some monologue tangent like a villain?”

A booming, terrible voice echoed over the whole room over the machinery as if on cue then; it was cold, scathing, and disturbing. It was the Ink demon’s.

“ _ On the contrary. Joey’s domain is the studio, but the machine… the machine is /mine/. _ ”

With a twist in his gut, Henry stared in horror as the ceiling  _ moved _ , writhing in a fashion that was not unlike a mass of worms. Slowly, the Ink demon lowered down via ink tendrils coming out of his back like a disturbing spider crossed octopus horror.

Hanging midway in the air, he cackled loudly making many of their group draw away back towards the elevator. Sputtering a little, Charley points with his hatchet arm

“D-Did he just talk?? ‘Cause that’s the first time I’ve  _ heard _ him!”

“ _ Of course; I forgot to mention… typically few can hear me outside this room, but here, I am strong enough to project my speech to you all. Welcome to the heart of your creative folly, Henry… It’ll be your /grave/ _ ”


	58. What Counts Inside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the suspense ends as the fight begins- but Henry finds he and Bendy sidetracked once more as their foes lure them into their lair. Learning terrible truths in an unpleasant altercation with Joey, Henry watches as his old friend becomes a whole new nightmare. Fighting to survive, he and Bendy learn what it means to truly work together to defend their friends and give Joey what he deserves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mild horror
> 
> Notes: That's it for this MASSIVE update; I hope you guys enjoy it! Stay tuned as things continue to speed up towards the long anticipated ending! A few little hints at some fun stuff to come: A secret chapter will be added to a certain number total upon a friend's request, and an art giveaway will take place at the end of my fic. Thanks for your continued support! :D

* * *

Taking a fighting stance, Henry glared at the Ink demon but inside was actually rather terrified. 

“If It’s a fight you want, It’s what you’ll get!”

Bendy yells from over his shoulder,

“Come down’ an’ face us, ya coward!!”

The Ink demon laughs at them, shaking his head

“ _You’re mistaken if you think I’d waste my time with your entourage. No, we have a much different welcoming party for you…_ ”

Holding his hands out to both sides then, Henry flinched as loud metal screeching filled the air; all around the room’s perimeter, doorways he hadn’t seen began opening. A calamity of noises unlike anything he’d every heard before started coming from them sounding far more sinister than anything he’d encountered in his time at the studio.

Looking around the room, he noticed the group seemed nervous- especially Boris, who was cowering and clinging to Alice angel. Lacie shook her head, voicing what they all must’ve been thinking in some form;

“What the hell?...”

Suddenly, dark figures came pouring from the doorways, dropping into the ink and scrambling all over the place. From what Henry could see they were inky figures that were far beyond simply being twisted anymore; they looked absolutely soulless. Whatever they had been before he could barely tell as they lacked human resemblance besides various inky limbs and empty face sockets.

Cackling, the Ink demon raised his outstretched arms

“ _Have you ever wondered what became of those who lost their souls, Henry? Let’s just say they’re full of something you may just be familiar with…_ ”

The Ink demon tapped his own left shoulder, causing Henry to grasp at his which was throbbing again. Staring in horror as the creatures came howling towards them, Henry looked up wildly

“W-What did you do to them?! What did you do to _me?!_ ”

“ _I wouldn’t worry about that right now… you’ve got bigger problems at the moment._ ”

Cursing, Henry drew his axe and started slashing through one of the screeching creatures moments before it grasped him. Bendy shouted and clung to his back tighter, the group now charging in to fight having gained back some bravery.

Above, the Ink demon started to climb away towards an opening in the ceiling, beckoning for Henry to follow. Frowning, Henry slashed away another creature before turning to Allison

“Joey’s not going to come out willingly; I have to go after him. Do you think you can take over leader for me?”

“Me?? Are you sure?”

Quickly, she dashed with a shout stabbing a creature that had narrowly grasped Sammy. Looking startled, Sammy gawked a bit before shaking his head and clutching his axe tighter

“You’re going to _leave_ us here?!”

“I have no choice. If I stop Joey, I stop all of this”

Sammy frowns, looking to Allison, who looks to Henry

“You’re sure you want _me_ to take over?”

“You’re as natural a leader as any; You’re also the most hopeful. I trust you.”

Staring at him for a moment, she nods

“Go. I’ll take care of everyone here”

“I’ll be back soon. Promise.”

Watching Allison stand by Tom to fight off more of the howling creatures, Henry turned away now looking up at the ceiling

“Right. How do we get up there, then?”

Bendy looks up as well, frowning

“Never really was able ta fly, so the only way we _can_ is ink...”

Below the elevator platform which was slowly being overrun, Henry could see the glistening surface of ink around them. He nods in response

“Ink it is. But first, let’s clear some of this up for them”

Grinning, Bendy nods back; both of them raised a hand then, combining their power over the ink to move it. In unison they lifted it over the platform, avoiding their friends as they washed away the soulless creatures into the flood. The others already seemed grateful.

“That should keep them at bay, if only for a bit. Let’s go”

Holding our their arms again, the two rose a bit shakily towards the hole in the ceiling where the Ink demon had disappeared through. Moving through it now, they went vertical for a ways before it leveled out into a horizontal pipeline. Landing, they released the ink letting it pour back down as Henry walked forward into the darkness.

His footsteps echoed in the hollow metal as they came to a wider pipe that had ink flowing shallowly along its base. A circular grate cut into its other side beamed light, a studio hallway of some sort beyond it. At the end, Henry recognized the door from his little talk with Joey and the Ink demon in his sleep…

“That’s it. That’s Joey’s _real_ office; at least, in this realm. He’s behind that door.”

Frowning, Bendy squeezes him a little

“Guess we’re goin’ in, huh?...”

Henry nodded before sliding down the curved surface into the flow of ink in the bigger pipe, struggling a bit to reach the grate on the other side. Pushing on it, he found it was solidly attached.

“Great… It’s bolted on.”

“Why not just phase through it?”

Grimacing, Henry sighs

“I really wish we didn’t _have_ to…”

Putting his hands against the grate now, Bendy snickered as Henry started to push past it. The feeling of his own body squeezing through and around it was disturbing to him as ever, but slowly he made his way through.

Collapsing with an inky squelch on the other side, he gasped a little before quickly pulling himself back together. On his shoulder, Bendy was still grinning

“See? That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“Never make me do that again…”

The demon snickered at him gleefully, but quieted down as Henry stood up again now heading for the office.

“This is it. We’ll be face to face with our other halves…”

Bendy frowns, snorting

“Literally.”

Grasping the door handle to the office, Henry took a breath before throwing it open and quickly stepping inside. Within the room, the Ink demon was standing beside Joey’s desk with a menacing grin, but Bendy seemed busy pondering the items with actual color around the room instead. Behind the desk, Joey’s chair turned slowly much in a classical villain fashion- but the reveal was… less so.

Sitting at his desk, Joey was sipping some coffee while looking at a newspaper.

“Ah, Henry; so glad you could make it. Funny enough I expected you sooner considering how quick you were before…”

Glaring, Henry gripped his axe tighter having kept it drawn

“Let’s cut the crap, Joey. You know why I’m here.”

Bendy snorts again

“Is that a pun?-”

“Bendy, now is _really not the time_.”

“Sorry…”

Joey continued sipping his coffee obnoxiously slow before setting both the cup and his newspaper down.

“Actually Henry, why _/are/_ you here? Are you going to accept my offer and reset things, or are you going to make this difficult?”

Staring at the coffee cup, Henry couldn’t help but think how he wanted more than anything to taste something that wasn’t bacon soup. But he had to focus.

“I’m here to ask you to _stop_ . You don’t have to do this. We can put an end to this- _All_ of this. Please, just consider it- even for a second”

Chuckling, Joey shakes his head with a sigh

“Unfortunately, there’s no bargaining _that_ from me. Henry, let me show you something; come... follow me.”

“The last time you wanted to show me something I ended up dead and inside this machine.”

“Oh, calm down; It’s not so dramatic. I have something else to show you... It’s not a trap, I assure you.”

“You expect me to just take your word for it?...”

“Would you rather stay in this crowded office?”

Frowning, Henry watched as Joey struggled to his wheelchair, starting to roll out of the room past him with the Ink demon in tow. Exchanging a look with Bendy, he slowly started to follow after.

Making their way down the hall again, Joey turned to a sealed doorway Henry hadn’t noticed before. As it opened, Joey wheeled through, Henry furrowing his brow as he followed still.

Reaching a sort of viewing bay area that was surprisingly spacious, the wall slid open to reveal a window through which the heart of the machine was visible. Below, Henry could see their friends and allies fighting making him move closer.

“I already saw this; the heart of the machine. But... what _are_ those?? What happened to them?”

Huffing, Joey shakes his head

“Always so many questions… I’ll humor you and actually answer for once, though.”

Wheeling closer too now, Joey peered down through the window next to him

“ _Those_ are husks. At least, that’s what I like to call them. As suggested by my ‘companion’ here, they’re soulless ink creatures; not a scrap of life left in them.”

Putting his hands to the glass, Henry frowns more

“But how did they get that way? What did you do to them?”

“Me? I didn’t do anything, old friend. They did that to themselves. They lost their hope and will to live to the point their souls wasted away… and now, they’re left with nothing but pure spite that turned them into angry, vengeful husks.”

“But what about the infection??”

“Infection?”

“The- the black infection from the Ink demon’s claws! Look!”

Henry gestures at his cheek, at which Joey squints and scoffs

“Henry, my eyesight Isn’t what it used to be. Come closer, if you will.”

Bendy hissed at him through clenched teeth, but Henry sighed and slowly leaned closer letting Joey examine the scars. As he does, Henry catches a glimpse of glowing light from his pocket where the amulet of soul pieces was tucked away. Joey speaks again however, leaning away 

“I haven’t a clue what that is; It’s certainly not _my_ doing…”

Frowning, Henry looks to the Ink demon who seemed to be smiling gleefully in a mocking manner. Gesturing at the demon, Henry continues

“He said they were full of something I was familiar with!”

Joey blinks before chuckling and shaking his head

“I don’t think he meant any ridiculous ‘infection’... aren’t you familiar with hopelessness? You seemed to have experienced it recently…”

Henry frowns more, remembering questioning his hope earlier… but his mind was too unfocused to be bothered by it much in the moment.

Henry was more focused on how it was clear Joey wasn’t familiar with whatever was afflicting him, which made him both curious and worried. The Ink demon was plotting behind his back again it seemed, but whatever it was, he couldn’t tell. One thing was for sure however… he needed to get the amulet from Joey.

Turning to Joey, he asks,

“So what’re you planning on doing now? Forcing us to do what you want against our will?

Watching Joey draw the amulet from his pocket, Henry eyed it as Joey smirks

“Something like that… what do _you_ plan to do about it?”

In a blink, Henry kicked Joey’s wheelchair hard causing the man to lurch forward- He then grasped the amulet, wedging it from Joey’s grasp in the process. However, he quickly found himself frozen in place against his will for it. Joey scoffed again, looking rather startled and irritated

“Really Henry?! How rude! It’s a good thing I found what I was looking for earlier!”

Twitching and trying to move, Henry grimaced as his eyes glanced over to the Ink demon who was smiling rather sinisterly. The demon was holding up a small glowing golden soul shard Henry realized must’ve been his own… the Ink demon had taken it all along. Why was he helping Joey though? Weren’t they in some agreement against him? It wasn’t surprising to imagine that he’d double crossed them, but he hadn’t been freed yet… what was he planning?

Joey shook his head as the Ink demon pulled the locket from Henry’s hand now, putting his soul piece back into it. Henry pondered why Bendy hadn’t reacted to stop it, but he realized the little demon wasn’t on his back anymore... Joey seemed oblivious to the fact as he spoke again

“That would’ve been quite the problem if it wasn’t for that… now, hand it here, demon.”

Holding up the locket and looking at it, the Ink demon slowly looked to Joey before giving a dark chuckle

“ _Make me._ ”

Immediately, Joey’s expression became cold as his chest glowed, forcing the Ink demon to freeze up too.

“You really thought that through, didn’t you?”

Reaching for the amulet, Joey curses when Bendy suddenly jumps up and snatches it away into his own hands, freeing Henry from his frozen state.

“You BRAT! Give that back IMMEDIATELY! You have no idea what you’re toying with!”

Sticking his tongue out, Bendy sneers

“I know enough that I ain’t EVER gonna give it back ta ya, liver spots!”

Growling in anger, Joey freed the Ink demon who turned to face Bendy now. Quickly, Henry dove in and scooped up Bendy, just narrowly missing a lunge from the Ink demon. Raising the locket in his own hand now, he yells;

“STOP! If you make one more move, I’ll _shatter_ it! I’m not bluffing!”

Joey stared in shock, slowly glaring at him

“Don’t you _dare,_ Henry Stein! If you know what’s good for you, you won’t make that mistake!”

“Give me one good reason I shouldn’t destroy this _right_ now”

“For one thing, I’d take a closer look at _exactly_ what it is you’re holding…”

Frowning, Henry slowly pulled the amulet closer to look at it. It wasn’t an amulet at all… it was a locket. Somewhere in the depths of his mind, he felt like he had seen it before…

Joey smirks at him, rather smug now

“Seem familiar? See, Henry, magic is a tricky and finicky thing- at least, demon magic is. It requires sacrifice and exchange in order to work… In this instance, an item of significant sentimental value one wouldn’t want to lose. Because in order to remove its power…”

“...you have to break it. And if you don’t, It’ll corrupt you with enough time.”

Henry forced the locket open to find a photo of himself with a woman he couldn’t remember very well anymore. It made him feel a deep, cold sadness as if something important was missing- but he just couldn’t remember. Joey chided at him, sounding quite resolute

“You always were a sentimental one who hated losing things important to you… wanted to remember your family no matter how busy you got. That locket is the _only_ tie left to your old life you have; destroy it… and you destroy who you were for _good._ ”

Pondering that, Henry felt conflicted and frustrated because he was right about one thing; it was all that was left of his old life. The only tangible thing of who he used to be before this inky hell had erased him and rewritten him over and over… someone he could barely remember. He wondered what it would mean to lose that side of him for good as he caressed the locket, Joey speaking again;

“If you hold any value over being something more than the inky echo you are now, you’ll hand it over. Holding it will only deteriorate you and the locket… and you wouldn’t want to lose your precious family for good, would you Henry?”

Quiet for a moment, he sighed

“I already can barely remember them…”

Looking to Joey’s smug expression now, Henry’s own suddenly hardened

“But you’ve mistaken me for someone who would think like you, Joey. It may not be easy and it sure as hell hurts, but I’m not stuck to my past- I don’t let it consume me. Maybe they’re were important to me and I may lose my memory of them... but I can’t let that hold me _or_ them back. Whether they moved on from me or not, I’ve decided to move on myself to live as who I am _now_. Your petty trick won’t stop me”

As Henry raised it up again, Joey shouted reaching out his hand

“NO!!!”

Throwing it down hard as he could, Henry watched as the locket shattered into pieces with a whole lightshow of soul shards flying through the air like fireflies out of it. No longer being contained, they phased through the walls back to where they belonged; him and everyone else. 

Henry flinched as his own hit his chest making him stumble a little for a moment. In his arms, Bendy beamed happily

“Hell yeah! Henry, ya did it- he doesn’t have your soul power anymore!”

Sounding furious, Joey was gripping the wheels of his chair tightly as he spoke with clenched teeth 

“Maybe not with _those_ souls… but I still have _/A/_ soul’s power!”

Frowning, Henry glances to the Ink demon who surprisingly looked… afraid. Suddenly, he had a very bad feeling he’d made a mistake.

“Joey…”

“I warned you, Henry, that I would _force_ you if I had to! And I don’t need any soul piece to do it. No… breaking that amulet was the _easy_ part. You’re about to find out just how poor that decision was.”

In his arms, Bendy frowns and clings to Henry

“I don’t like where this is goin’...”

Snapping his fingers, Joey’s chest glows again forcing the Ink demon to twitch and convulse like a possessed marionette. Grimacing in discomfort, the demon slowly walks towards Joey making Henry call out

“Stop! Let him go- this Isn’t right!!”

“Oh, Henry… how haven’t you learned by now? You can’t control me! You never had control!”

“Why’re you doing this?! Was what happened with the studio really so horrible you had to do all _/this/_?! How can you be so spiteful, jealous and- and heartless!”

Joey pauses, quiet for a moment before he starts chuckling

“Heartless? No, Henry, my heart is still fully intact; I assure you. At least, before the ink replacement and all… but you’re _close_. If you really must know, allow me to explain…”

Bendy, getting antsy, bounces in Henry’s arms

“We don’t got time for this!! Our friends are all gettin’ attacked!”

Sniffing with irritation, Joey slams his hands to his chair’s wheels

“It’s only a matter of time before they die anyways! You want to know, Henry?! You want to know why I became cruel, cold, and ‘heartless’ over time and cared less?! It’s because I _can’t_ care! After you left me heartbroken and alone, I made a decision to get rid of it all and start a NEW era of the studio! One that would bring our creations to LIFE!”

Having leaned forward in emphasis, he was smilingly wildly with his eyes wide

“But there’s always a price. And you see, Henry, it was a very easy choice to make when enough years had passed; I realized my road was leading nowhere, and I had no other paths to take. I decided to make a deal that changed _everything_ . Innovation takes sacrifices! And sometimes, those sacrifices are more than you’d _ever_ be brave enough to dare bargain with!”

Struggling, Joey forces himself to stand with the Ink demon struggling against being forced to stand by him

“You wanted to know all these things… well, the answer is quite simple actually. It’s so easy to be _manipulated_ ,”

He yanks the Ink demon with invisible strings, forcing him to fall

“It’s so easy to be _coerced_ ,”

Joey pulls again, forcing the Ink demon back to his feet, making Henry wince

“It’s so easy to be a _puppet_ when you’re a slave to your own emotions! So, in a sense, I gave my heart away for you Henry. _Because_ of you. But I’m not heartless, no…”

A disturbing, emotionless smiles crept over Joey’s face that ominously resembled one of the many cutouts in the studio

“The only way to succeed was to break free of any strings holding _me_ back, so I could make progress unbounded in exchange for the miracles of magic; a deal I couldn’t resist!” 

Leaning forward now, he glares Henry down with intensely glowing blue eyes

“I gave away my _soul._ ”

Staring blankly, Henry didn’t know what to say. It all made sense now. Joey wasn’t anything like he used to be… because he _wasn’t_ what he used to be. He’d traded the one thing that had made him who he was, the one thing that had been ‘holding him back’- that is, holding him back from the horrors he’d later committed. No wonder he couldn’t let go of the past... there was nothing left to take him away from it.

“Joey… you… _why?_ Why did you do it? Y-You shouldn’t have, I could’ve _helped_ -”

Sneering, Joey practically spits at him

“Helped?! You could’ve helped by staying! But It’s _far_ too late to fix things! Not that it matters; I think I much prefer being above the pettiness of mortality anyways...”

Scoffing, Henry gives him a look of disbelief

“Above? You’re hardly above anything if you still blame me for this! Maybe I could’ve helped if I’d stayed, but _you_ were the one who actively chose not to recognize and fix your mistakes! The only person you have to blame is yourself, especially selling your _soul!_ ”

Narrowing his eyes, Joey gives him a cold smile

“Perhaps I felt bad about it once, but we’re long past any point of return, especially now that you’ve broken the locket… It’s time to take it _further_ . Let me show you what TRUE demonic power looks like, and turn this nightmare into _Hell itself!_ ”

Before Henry could react, Joey threw his wheelchair at him causing him to roll out of the way. The soul in Joey’s chest was glowing so bright it burned Henry’s eyes. Struggling back to his feet, Henry and Bendy both stared in horrified awe at what was happening now.

Grasping the Ink demon, Joey cackled as the demon howled in what sounded like agony, being forced closer to him. Upon contact, the two began _literally_ melting together in a way that made Henry feel rather nauseous. Bendy covered his eyes, whimpering as Henry shouted

“JOEY! WHAT’RE YOU DOING?! STOP!!”

His plea was useless however as the two turned into a contorting mass of glowing ink that seemed to be fighting within itself.

Writhing, it slowly began to shape into what looked like a much bigger and taller version of the Ink demon, but disturbingly more twisted. The horns were longer and the creature now had four arms similar to beast Bendy’s, but the left two were larger than normal. Each hand had holes resembling Bendy’s glove buttons, and sharp spikes were along each elbow. Additionally, the creature grew massive shoulder and hip spikes while its malformed leg became a solid and clawed foot, the other remaining mostly the same if not longer. Practically whipping out of the mass from behind, a long spiny tail tipped with a blade-like shape deviously curled around it.

Hunched over, the creature lifted its head enough to show a grin that bared incredibly sharp teeth. The bowtie was no longer present, and the spines on its back grew longer as well as two long limbs beginning to extend from each shoulder blade. However, Henry realized they weren’t limbs at all; they were _wings_.

Finishing transforming, the creature snapped open a pair of massive dripping ink wings that filled the entire room. Staring upwards at the creature, Henry felt incredibly small and incredibly vulnerable.

Speaking now, the creature’s voice sounded like a combination of Joey’s layered with the Ink demon’s already horrible voice making it _much_ worse;

“ _You should have accepted the offer when you had the chance, Henry. Now, we’ll tear you apart as this reality crumbles and destroys you all!_ ”

Shaking his head, Henry finally found his own voice while Bendy cowered and clung to his leg

“You’re insane! You’ll destroy yourself too in the process!”

Laughing in a way that made Henry and Bendy both have to cover their ears from the terrible sound, the combined creature of Joey and the Ink demon bared its rather intimidating rows of sharp teeth

“ _I shall persist even after, but it is /you/ and everyone else who will fall. I can rebuild and survive… you, however, will cease your very existence!_ ”

Furrowing his brow, Henry recalled the urgency Joey used to display whenever talking about the dimension falling apart. Either he was bluffing right now, or it was the Ink demon speaking who would persist. He couldn’t quite tell but he wasn’t going to find out; he’d rather keep the dimension intact until they escaped anyways.

“I’m not going to let things fall apart, but I’m not resetting it either! You’re not controlling the script anymore- I’m finding my _own_ way!”

Letting out a hiss that makes Henry hold up his arms defensively from the force of it, the creature leans closer

“ _/Your/ way? Perhaps we’re not in control of the script anymore, but from our viewpoint, you don’t even stand a /chance/ in a fight! Your ending is good as decided!_ ”

Much in the similar fashion to fighting beast Bendy, Henry and Bendy were suddenly slammed with the immense force of the creature’s enlarged hands through the bay window. Glass shattering into the machine’s heart, they fell towards the ink with Bendy panicking and trying to snap him back to awareness.

“HENRY!! HENRY, WAKE UP- WE’RE GONNA-”

With a loud splash, they were suddenly enveloped into the cold, suffocating darkness of the ink. Henry wanted more than anything to move, but he was dazed; stunned from the impact. He could feel the little demon tugging on his arm before the ink suddenly lifted them, dropping them onto one of the scattered catwalks in the room.

Coughing, Henry inhales deeply, his snapping eyes open to see Bendy leaning over him and panicking

“Henry, this is bad; this is _real_ bad!! What do we do?! I-I’ve never seen someone do that before! Usually It’s the demon who possesses someone, not _share_ with them!”

“I-I… I don’t know. I don’t know-”

Staring past Bendy towards the massive soul shard lighting the room, Henry frowned upon seeing a silhouette block it out

Quickly, he grabbed Bendy and scrambled as the massive combined creature of Joey and the Ink demon slammed into the catwalk, breaking it. Sliding towards them as it angled downwards, Henry grasped the handrail with one arm, keeping Bendy tucked against him with the other.

“ _You can’t run, and you can’t hide! Now you’ll die, Henry stein, false hero of the fallen!_ ”

Below where the others were fighting, Henry could hear a chorus of terrified screams from both his friends and the strange husk creatures- it seemed no matter what side they were on, they were rightfully terrified as he was.

Before the fused creature can grasp them, Henry and Bendy both quickly rose ink to block its hand in unison. The creature laughed however, swatting it away uselessly

“ _Your weak tricks won’t save you now! You’re nothing compared to my power!_ ”

Henry winced as the fused creature grasped them tightly, claws slightly digging into them. Struggling, he gasped for air as several of their friends cried out with fear for him and Bendy. If anything however, he was more worried about Bendy who was also struggling to breathe. Quickly, Henry attempted to turn himself into ink to escape- but he found himself forced to re-solidify painfully.

“ _A clever attempt, but futile nonetheless. There is no escape_ ”

Thrown once more, Henry braced himself this time while wrapping around Bendy who cries out

“STOP!! STOP HURTIN’ YERSELF FER ME! THIS IS JUST LIKE WHEN WE FELL IN THE FIRST PART A’ THE STUDIO!”

Henry remembered the first time they’d met and fell through the floor, he had indeed reacted the same. And, just like then, he didn’t budge as he hit the wall getting the wind knocked out of him. Wheezing, he collapsed to a hard metal platform with Bendy under him. Squirming, the demon shoves out from under him before shaking his arm

“Henry, get up!! He’s comin’! Henry!!”

Groaning, Henry shakily lifts himself before looking up blearily to see the fused demon creature flapping its massive wings towards them. The turbulence made his eyes water and the ink below them splashed with waves from its force. Frowning, Henry quickly grabbed Bendy (who squeaks like a toy) before diving back into the ink.

Above the surface, he heard a metallic clamor as if the creature had slammed into the wall ungracefully. Slowly, he used his control of the ink to push them far to the bottom and force open a pocket of air. Taking shallow breaths, he released his hold of Bendy inside their new-formed bubble. Sounding upset, Bendy whines 

“W-What do we do?? We can’t fight ‘em like this! We ain’t strong enough on our own!”

In the pitch darkness, Henry squeezes his eyes shut before opening them again- not that it made much a difference.

“W-we’ll figure it out. There has to be _something_ -”

“How?! Henry, I don’t wanna sound like a downer, but not even _/I/_ know how ta counter that! What if they kill us?! W-What if they kill everyone else?! What’re we gonna DO-”

“I DON’T KNOW!”

In the silence, Henry frowns before speaking quieter

“I’m sorry- I didn’t mean to yell. I’m just… afraid. I’m _terrified_ . I don’t know what to do, a-and I’m expected to always figure it out; but I can’t! I just… I don’t _know_ ”

His eyes stinging with tears, Henry feels the little demon gently hug him in the darkness. Wrapping his arms around Bendy in return, Henry sighs

“I’m sorry…”

“‘S not yer fault… I shouldn’t be panickin’ an’ expectin’ ya ta fix everythin’; we’ll figure it out, Henry! You an’ me. Together!”

Henry smiles a little in the darkness, but the mood quickly fades as he hears the terrible fused creature’s voice practically boom with anger above the ink

“ _Cowering under the ink?! How pathetic, Henry! If you think that will save you, you’re /wrong/_ ”

Around them, Henry could feel the _/entire/_ pool of ink starting to raise into the air, them being carried with it. He and Bendy hug each other tighter as the little demon stammers

“A-an’ be ratted out together too it seems!”

Blinking in the darkness, Henry suddenly had an idea...

“Together… together. That’s it; we need to work _together_ -”

The ink bursts, showering a flood against the room and walls while dropping Henry and Bendy who flail before they’re caught in the multiple clawed hands of the creature. Cackling with glee, it spread its terrible teeth

“ _Why the look of surprise? You’ve barely seen a /fraction/ of what I can do_ ”

Squeezing them in a crushing grip again, Henry gasped for air once more before he and Bendy were suddenly being dropped. Howling in a way that sent chills through Henry’s body, the creature was waving off two of its hands he realizes had smaller hatchets sticking out of them. Turning quickly, he sees Lacie and Tom preparing to throw more. Next to them, Barley was preparing more of his special fish grenades he’d used on them before. Their friends had saved them.

Catching and lowering them with the ink, Henry ran with Bendy hopping onto his back as he tried to reach their group, but found himself being lifted into the air with a stomach flipping rush. Kicking his legs, he and Bendy both yelled as they’re brought all the way to the ceiling where the creature hovered now

“ _I find it cute your stupid friends think they can save you!_ ”

Glaring, Bendy shouts back

“They sure made ya drop us, ya dunce!!”

Sneering, the creature raises them before its teeth

“ _You’re going to learn to keep your mouth shut, /brat/_ ”

Without warning, they’re slammed into the wall hard enough that Henry saw stars before they’re sailing through the air only to hit another one. Falling, he felt hands grasp them yet again only to throw them down with extra force into the ink. The impact burned as his skin as they splashed violently through its surface.

Unable to bring himself to move, Henry began to sink; he couldn’t even tell if Bendy was near him anymore either. For once, he wondered if this would really be it… had he finally gone too far and been outmatched? Was this going to truly be the end for him no matter what?

The coldness of the ink far outmatched his threatening hopelessness, but Henry refused to let it take hold of him. Deep inside, he was _burning_ ; burning with anger, pain from being used, from being manipulated, and from mistreatment and torture. He burned with anger for everyone who had been hurt while he was blamed for it, and anger at the thought that soon they’d be hurt again. That anger burned in a way that wasn’t for vengeance, but _justice._

All around him the ink began bubbling as if it were boiling, and glowing gold. In a burst of energy, he found himself encased by a new bubble that consisted of swirling gold ink this time. Gasping in the air, Henry coughed for a minute before shaking himself off and slowly turning to find Bendy laying nearby. Frowning, Henry quickly moved to the demon’s side, lifting him

“Bendy?! Bendy, can you hear me?? Wake up!”

Groaning, the little demon slowly opens his eyes, smiling a little

“Mind not yellin’ so loud? My head hurts...”

Relieved, Henry gently hugs him close, being hugged back in return. Letting go, Bendy looks around in confusion

“Henry, how the hell didja do _this_?”

“I-I don’t know. I just… felt angry I suppose”

Outside the bubble, large black claws suddenly slammed into it, but glanced off uselessly. Above, an angry roar echoed outside of the ink as the creature tried repeatedly to break through it with no success.

Grinning now, Bendy huffs

“He can’t get through!! Whatta loser!”

Frowning, Henry holds his chest which was still burning; it was beginning to become unbearable.

“F-For now, but if we don’t figure something out quick, I’m going to burn up”

Frowning too now, Bendy ponders before snapping his fingers

“Together! Ya said somethin’ about us workin’ together!”

“Oh- right! If Joey was able to combine his power with the Ink demon’s…”

“...we can combine ours too, right? But how??”

“I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out- we _have_ to figure it out. Like you said before… I always do, don’t I?”

“Okay, look Henry, I was sayin’ that to be nice but-”

Giving the demon a look, Bendy snorts

“Kidding!! I know we will!”

Both of them flinch as the creature slams into the bubble again, the golden aura shimmering. They were running out of time. Feeling a bit panicked, Henry began pondering out loud

“Okay- Joey grabbed the Ink demon, got close to him, then they… they melted?”

Bendy furrows his brow, looking like he was thinking

“He forced him ta do it though. What do _/we/_ do??”

The bubble shimmering from another impact, Henry frowns

“Only one way to find out. We have to _try_.”

Hugging the demon tightly, Henry closed his eyes as Bendy hugged back as the bubble began to fade and lose power. It wasn’t getting any darker however as the light within Henry’s chest grew brighter instead. Holding Bendy, he could feel a deep loving warmth for him; Bendy was more than just a cartoon. He was more than just a character who gave him creativity, and a taste of fame. He was a friend who found him in the dark, a family figure who helped fill the gap of what he was missing, and part of his life. He gave Henry nothing but love despite his antics, keeping him going. In his eyes, Bendy wasn’t a demon at all...

Bendy was his son. And Henry loved him unconditionally.

Feeling himself start to change, Henry exhaled deeply as the light surrounded them like a cocoon. Inside, he felt as if his body didn’t exist anymore until it began to resolidify and form differently. His limbs were extending, along with his body becoming quite tall compared to normal. Flexing his fingers, he realized he had far more than he used to; he had four hands, in fact. Each one felt strange and inhuman having less fingers than usual and what felt like gloves. Was he becoming a cartoon?

Moving his legs a bit, Henry found they were much thinner and flexible, almost like tubes. It was an odd sensation but not uncomfortable surprisingly. Feeling over his face, he was alarmed at first to find he had no _neck-_ he was indeed turning cartoonish. He was turning into _Bendy_ , albeit longer and taller. The extra arms were new though, and reaching up, he felt a ring like structure floating around his horns. No- _their_ horns. He could both hear and feel Bendy’s thoughts along with his own, and the demon was just as confused and excited as well.

Solidifying inside the ball of light, Henry felt something pushing out of their back as they rose above the ink… 

In a fantastic display, they burst from golden light that rained shimmering around the dark room. Henry blinked with Bendy, finding _their_ eyes were glowing gold too. The sensation of being two in one was disorientating, but not uncomfortable. 

From their back, a pair of feathered angel wings unfurled as their sparkling golden aura lit up the room dazzlingly. The force from them blows the ink in rings around them, the dark liquid becoming bright at their touch and near presence.

Holding out their four arms, Henry and Bendy curiously examined their new form; it looked cartoonish, but beautifully ethereal at the same time. Henry personally was amused that they had kept his sweater vest and button up with Bendy’s bowtie. The vest however now had a glimmering pattern of scribbled stars on it, similar to the ones he’d painted in his cell inside Allison’s old hideout.

Looking up, their eyes meet with the lack thereof from Joey and the Ink demon’s fusion, the creature seeming shocked and incredibly angry. 

“ _No! That’s not possible- you shouldn’t be able to- You can’t have figured it out so easily!_ ”

Grinning, Henry and Bendy spoke as one, the feeling still odd but exhilarating

“You’re not the only ones with tricks anymore. You gave us this power, and now we’re going to use it to end this!”

Roaring in anger, the ink creature spread its massive wings in an intimidation display. Calmly in return however, Henry and Bendy extended their own just as wide. 

Now, Henry thinks, they had a fighting chance to win. Now, Bendy thinks, they were going to kick two butts at once.


	59. Centrifuge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the final showdown begins, Henry's friends struggle below as he, Bendy, and the newly combined 'Ink Devil' clash in an amazing yet terrifying display of power and demonic magic. Outmatched or not, Henry isn't sure; all he knows is he and Bendy need to do what it takes to fight their darkest foes and protect their friends to reach the end. Around and around the machine's heart, each clash only raises the question; will they survive, and who will win?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: injury, bleeding, violence
> 
> Notes: another 5 chapter update this time with 6 drawings, but they're all for chapter 63! the next ones will vary depending how I wanna post them, but the last five will be posted over the next couple of weeks with the finale including an extra special chapter bringing the chapter count from 68 to 69 (because someone really wanted me to LOL). A bunch of lose ends SHOULD hopefully be tied up by the end of this if I wrote it correctly! Stay tuned, as the last chapter will be extra-special and there'll be an art raffle/giveaway hosted on my twitter with three winners; i'll be announcing the details next week! thank you all for your support and I look forward to ending this massive project with you soon! :D

* * *

Above them, what Sammy could only describe as the battle between Heaven and Hell was starting to take place. 

Whatever Henry and Bendy had dragged down, it didn’t seem to be the Ink demon nor Joey Drew; the way the horrible creature’s voice sounded, he’d come to believe it was both in one. Now, After having been beaten around terribly, it seemed Henry and Bendy had similarly become fused into some kind of over-top-friendly cartoon mascot. He wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it, but at the least their side had Henry and Bendy to help them.

On the ground however he and the others were busy trying to keep the growing army of horrible creatures at bay, but they were losing ground. It seemed all fronts were under attack and all the ink being splashed around wasn’t helping; avoiding touching it was becoming near impossible. 

Looking up again, Sammy shielded his eyes as a clash of golden light exploded from the two beings colliding. If he had to describe them, he’d pin Henry and Bendy’s fusion as some kind of cartoon angel while Joey and the Ink demon… well, ‘ink devil’ seemed to fit best.

Their fighting was rather intense and beginning to damage the room itself; if they kept at it, Sammy feared the pipes might burst and flood them all with ink. At that point none of them would be able to escape before being pulled into it.

Next to him, Norman suddenly swung a crowbar through one of the howling creatures as it had lunged for Sammy. Flinching, he was pulled back to the focus of their own fight on the ground; whatever was happening above, he’d have to ignore it for now. 

“Sammy, keep yer eye on yourself!”

“S-Sorry; It’s just hard when they’re, well, like  _ that! _ ”

Gripping his axe, he dashes one of the creatures as it was trying to reform from a puddle. Said puddles were spreading all over however, and Sammy was finding himself getting stuck in them more and more.

“What’re we supposed to do from down here anyways?? They just keep coming, and we’re slowly losing!”

Nearby, Allison shouts over the noise as she slashes two away at once

“For one thing, you have to believe we can win!”

Sammy scoffs, smacking yet another one with his axe

“Right now it feels like we’re just biding our time while Henry does all the work! Are we just supposed to survive as long as possible? What happened to  _ doing _ something??”

Looking around, Allison furrows her brow before meeting Sammy’s gaze

“You’re right; we have to stop this. We can’t fight this flood forever, and we need to focus our efforts on more than this”

Swinging from above, Edgar drops Barley down between them before using his own sword to gracefully dash several more of the creatures away

“I believe me and my friend have an idea!”

Nodding, Barley raises his voice while gripping an oversized wrench tightly

“They’ll keep coming if we don’t shut the doors. If we close the routes letting them in, then we can start thinning them out and keep the flood at bay”

Looking to one of many mentioned doors, Sammy scoffs again

“Close them?! How?! There’s far more than we have the resources to block off!”

Sammy stumbles as he backs into a puddle, quickly pulling himself free of it and cursing. Swinging his axe, he looks to Barley who continues;

“If we can gain access to the door controls, I can rewire them so they shut and seal”

Edgar turns, frowning

“But the problem is we need to  _ find _ the controls; Barley and I are under the assumption they might be wherever Henry disappeared to earlier!”

Sammy grunts as Norman bumps into him while fighting, glancing his way before turning back to them 

“Unless you can fly or something, that’s going to be hard to reach!”

Allison looks up at the ceiling then, shaking her head

“It’s a smooth surface too, so grappling probably won’t work either”

Suddenly, a loud buzzing zooms overhead as bullets peppered the creatures reducing their numbers a fair amount for the time. Flying over to them, Bertrum was now hovering

“Did somebody say something about flying?”

Sammy shakes his head, looking to Barley

“He couldn’t carry you, could he?”

Sounding offended, Bertrum scoffs

“I’m quite durable, thank you! I’m sure I can assist in whatever it is you need help with!”

Clanking over, Lacie snorts

“Bertrum, Hate ta break it to ya, but I don’t think yer carryin’ capacity is more than a  _ mouse _ ”

Barley frowns while shaking his head

“Bertrum can’t carry me, but it does give me an idea…”

Turning to Lacie, the fisher points up at the ceiling

“Do you think you’d be able to accurately throw something that high?”

Shoving through the crowd, Charley comes hobbling over sputtering

“Yer not thinkin’ of being thrown over the  _ ink _ , Barles??”

Looking up, Lacie hums in thought

“It’s worth a shot. With these super strong robot arms, I can make that toss no problem”

Charley waves his arms frantically making everyone lean away from his hatchet arm

“Barles, ya can’t be serious!! What if she misses?!”

Frowning, Barley shakes his head

“We don’t have much choice. If we don’t hurry we’ll be overrun anyways- we have to try  _ something _ ”

Sammy flinches and whacks away the head of a forming creature, becoming a bit shrill

“Whatever you’re going to do, just do it fast! I don’t know how much more I can take of this- this mess!”

Charley pouts at Barley before pointing up at the ongoing battle between Angel and Devil creatures, their echoing and rather intimidating wrath making the room shake with their force.

“Even if ya get the right trajectory, what if they hit ya outta the air?!”

Barley points to Bertrum then, who was busy diving in and assisting the other half of their group

“Bertrum will be the distraction. He’s fast and small, so he can get their attention and lead them away from it”

Sammy had to admit one thing- it wasn’t a terrible plan considering. Though maybe not be the most ideal, it was at least something to help turn the battle from losing to equal ground. All of them look to Allison then, who was the defacto leader at the moment while Henry was busy. Frowning, she nods to Barley

“Do it, and be quick; Take Edgar with you just in case.”

“Got it.”

Charley pouts, whining now

“I wanna go with him!!”

Allison shakes her head

“I’m sorry, but you don’t have the same climbing capability. Edgar is going to ensure Barley makes it all the way without falling. He’s a spider, afterall”

Edgar scoffs sounding a little offended

“I am more than a spider!  _ But _ , I shall help nonetheless.”

With an ‘oof!’, the striker and fisher were both scooped up without hesitation by Lacie who calls loudly enough to make Sammy’s ears hurt

“HEY BERTIE! OVER HERE!”

Buzzing back over, the plane sounded fairly irate 

“Do NOT call me that terrible nickname! What do you need?”

“These fellas need to make it up safely, but we got a demon an’ angel problem up there. Mind keepin’ them busy and away from where I’m throwin’ ‘em?”

“Hmph. I suppose I can help, but promise you’ll never call me that again!”

“Fine, I promise; just go!”

“I shall not disappoint, madam!”

Zipping towards the clashing battle, Bertrum seemed far too eager to potentially die in Sammy’s opinion. Whether he was truly that stupidly confident or just trying to show off, he wasn’t sure- but at the very least the man had enthusiasm for being a toy plane.

Watching, Sammy nearly falls victim to one of the creatures again as it pops up behind him; thankfully, Charley slashes it for him before huffing 

“I still wish I was goin’ with Barles…”

Edgar sighs, looking to him

“I’m sorry Charley, but you are needed here! Keep Miss Susie safe!”

The piper looks to Barley who nods in agreement before sighing and saluting them

“Alrighty, but be safe!”

With that, the piper throws himself back into the fight, disappearing off towards where Susie’s gun fire was rattling off. Shaking his head, Sammy looks to Lacie

“So when will you even know to throw them?”

“When the crazy magic fight moves out of the way”

Glancing up, Sammy witnessed Bertrum peppering the ink devil fusion with bullets causing it to howl in a terrible way that made him feel like his blood froze. Now, it was swatting at and failing to chase the tiny plane to the other side of the room. From behind, the glittering gold angel that was Henry and Bendy followed suit, brandishing what looked like two axes made of light.

Looking back to Lacie, Sammy shakes his head

“Now seems good as ever!”

“Already on it!”

Winding up the two butcher gang members, She aimed as they looked rather nervous. Sammy almost felt bad from the looks on their faces before they were suddenly launched through the air with an impressive swing from Lacie. Watching them sail, Sammy shakes his head again

“Unbelievable… I actually hope they survive.”

“Ah, they’ll be  _ fine _ ; I’d focus on yer own skin right now!”

Cursing, Sammy kicks one of the creatures off his leg that had crawled its way over to him

“A little more warning next time?!”

Chuckling, Lacie punches a couple off into the ink

“Now where’s the fun in  _ that _ ?”

Scoffing and shaking his head, Sammy gives her a look

“I don’t see how you can think this is so funny; It’s practically life or death for us now!”

“Ah, calm yer yappin’. I knew you’d be fine.”

Rolling his eyes, Sammy looks up to where Edgar and Barley had disappeared hoping they would make it in time. Lately, it seemed like time was the one thing they never had anymore. Everything was moving too fast, yet in slow motion at the same time like an animation cell that was frozen while its reel spit out all the film.

He could only hope they’d make it before the last of it ran out.

  * POV change - Henry



Wrestling quite literally with his own demons, Henry was beginning to find irony in all the metaphors that came with the situation. 

His and Bendy’s new form was getting easier to control, but it still wasn’t enough; currently they were evenly matched. The stalemate was making it difficult for him to achieve any other part of the original plans, as Joey being combined with the Ink demon had been one of the surprise twists he was worried would throw them off.

Slamming their own wings into the ink devil that was Joey and the Ink demon, Henry and Bendy flung backwards from their current useless grapple. Flapping furiously making the air shimmer, they regained altitude before holding out two of their four arms. In their palms, two larger than normal axes made of light materialized; a new trick Bendy had figured out for them while fighting.

Across the way however, the ink devil held out its arms similarly; two disturbing ink dripping scythes formed in its larger left hands. It would figure they had the same capabilities.

Internally, Bendy groaned with irritation before talking to Henry directly

‘What the hell’re we s’pposed ta do when they can just copy everythin’ we do?? This is gettin’ us nowhere!’

‘Right now we just have survive until we figure it out. My guess is that our best bet lies in separating them again, but that seems a little…’

‘Impossible?’

Watching the ink devil bolt towards them through the air, Henry and Bendy grimace in unison before flapping upwards at the last second, bumping into the ceiling for it. Grunting, they turned and held out their weapons only to find that Joey and the Ink demon’s fusion was grasping onto a pipe and behaving... odd. From the outside, it looked like the creature was scratching at itself like it was itching terribly- but Henry could tell what was really going on. They were fighting internally.

‘Maybe it’s  _ not _ impossible’

In their shared mind, Bendy sounded surprised

‘Ya think so?? How?’

‘Look at their form; it looks unstable right now. I think the Ink demon is trying to fight Joey… and if we influence that, maybe we can get them to break apart?’

‘Henry, yer a genius! We just gotta get ‘em super pissed at each other!’

‘Yeah, then hopefully we’ll stand a chance of getting them apart’

The ink devil shook its head off, baring sharp teeth angrily at them now. It seemed they’d gotten over their confliction for now, but Henry and Bendy both pondered how long that would last. Launching off the pipe, the ink devil ripped it off entirely letting ink shower everywhere before brandishing the scythes and large pipe in its grasp together.

Bracing themselves, Henry and Bendy both unfortunately underestimated the force of impact as they’re sent flying backwards. Hitting the curved far wall, they slid down a bit as the various ink dripping weapons of their enemy swung relentlessly. Holding up their axes, Henry struggled keeping the ink weapons at bay while Bendy used their other free arms to grasp and start pulling away the pipe.

Taking over their speech for now, Henry tried to get through to the Ink demon;

“You don’t have to do this; you’re stronger than him! You have to fight him and free yourself!”

Snarling, the ink devil’s teeth get far too close for comfort making both him and Bendy grimace again

“ _ You really think your words will save you now? Have you given up faith on your fighting capability so soon? _ ”

“I’m more focused on the fact there seems to be  _ two _ battles right now; you can’t keep controlling him forever, Joey! You have to stop using his soul at some point!”

“ _ Don’t act like you understand anything, Stein! You’re an amateur and have nothing compared to me! _ ”

Speaking in unison with Bendy then, they narrow their glowing eyes while struggling to keep the ink devil’s weapons at bay

“We know you can’t force him to keep doing what you want forever!”

Snarling, the ink devil pushed through their defense and slammed Henry and Bendy to the wall again making their head hurt. Though they were evenly matched, it seemed they had different areas of strength and weakness still; in this case, Joey and the Ink demon had more power physically and magically. Whatever Henry and Bendy’s advantage was, Henry was still trying to figure out; currently their cooperative relationship was at least more stable and likely to last longer- they had endurance.

Flinching as they’re grasped by the shoulder and slammed again, Bendy internally shouts to Henry

‘Dammit; they just keep tossin’ us around like a rag doll!’

Quickly, the two used ink pouring from the broken pipe to encase themselves, re-creating the golden bubble they’d formed earlier to deflect the ink devil. Roaring with frustration, it shouted again;

“ _ Your efforts are useless and futile! You’ll succumb to my power before long, just like your friends will to the flood! _ ”

Frowning, they both turned their attention to see their friends struggling and starting to get overwhelmed. How long had that been going on without them realizing? Chuckling darkly, the ink devil sneers at them

“ _ You can’t save them as long as you’re focused on staying alive yourselves. Now what will you do? _ ”

Glancing at the smiling creature, both Henry and Bendy became conflicted; Henry wanted to dive down and protect the others, but Bendy wanted to keep fighting their enemy. As a result, they become distracted on trying to decide whether to help them or fight back again.

‘We have to help them! He’s right that they’re getting overwhelmed, they’ll be wiped out if we don’t do something!’

‘Henry, as much as I wanna help too, we’re gonna get torn apart by them if we don’t focus!’

Shaking their head, Henry continues pushing back the ink devil

‘I know, but we have to take that chance!’

Bendy gives in with frustration, sighing

‘I hope this doesn’t make things worse’

Diving for the battle below, they came closer to thin out the husks with a swift rain of their own power. Swinging their axes made from light and bursting them by controlling the ink that composed them, the duo was beginning to make quick work of them. Despite it though Bendy still had nervous eagerness to turn back to their other foe making it hard to get more done.

A rush of air blew from behind suddenly then, cold sharp claws digging into their shoulders and practically ripping them out of the air. 

Both crying out in pain, they flapped frantically only for the ink devil’s extra hands to somehow dig into one of their wings made of light too. It seemed, ironically, that Joey had turned their own plan on them with cold precision. He’d planned on their split interests conflicting just enough to distract them long enough so they were exposed. Henry should have seen it coming, knowing him so well; the man specialized in mental manipulation after all.

Internally, Henry’s panic was shared by Bendy’s as they were pulled higher into the air rather painfully. In a blink however the grasp disappeared along with a terrible howl from the ink devil that appropriately reflected their own pain. Falling at first, Henry was quick to coordinate with Bendy to grasp some hanging pipes to stop their descent. Above, a tiny buzzing toy plane was shooting Joey and the Ink demon with explosive pellets similar to Barley’s fish bombs.

They were relieved, but in pain at the same time. Closing their eyes, Henry speaks to Bendy again;

‘We need to heal. Let’s focus on that while we have a second.’

‘O-Okay’

‘Bendy?’

“Yeah?’

‘It’s okay. We’re going to be okay.’

Henry could sense a small doubt from the demon, but they combined the effort to heal themselves regardless. Using power from their shared souls, their wing and shoulder wounds closed up and shimmered away relieving the pain. Looking up at the plane harassing the ink devil, both of them couldn’t help but find some humor in it- internally though, Bendy still sounded stressed

‘They used our own idea against us! How’re we s’pposed ta do it ta them if they know??’

‘I think we need to be more subtle about it. When they figure out what we’re trying to do, It’s too easy to counter.’

‘So what, we just wink at the Ink demon an’ send subliminal messages?? Sign language? Morse code?’

Slightly amused, Henry huffs internally

‘No; I have a better idea. Let’s try to get them to throw everything they’ve got at us’

As they began taking off to help Bertrum from turning into a splat on the wall, Bendy scoffs sounding shocked

‘You call that  _ better?! _ How the hell is that a good idea??’

‘For one thing, It’ll tire them out faster. The sooner Joey loses his control…’

‘...the sooner he’ll be forced ta let go of the Ink demon! Henry, yer a genius- again!’

Ducking from a swinging ink scythe, they quickly combined the two light axes into a long dual weapon to block

‘Don’t congratulate me too soon. This might get messy’

‘Ahh, we can handle messy; this whole studio is just one big mess! Let’s do it!’

Henry had to admit one thing, Bendy’s enthusiasm and faith in him did make him feel more confident. Both gripping their new weapon, they grinned with determination while staring down the frustrated ink devil. Teeth dripping with ink, it snarled at them, pulling its own weapons out again

“ _ Don’t look so smug. You’ve hardly seen a fraction of what we can do! _ ”

“If that’s true, then why don’t you bother showing me? Right now it seems like you’re too scared to actually try winning!”

Sneering, the ink devil slowly smirks then

“ _ You’ll regret what you wish for _ ”

“Try me.”

Holding their arms out, the Ink devil looked to be straining before Henry slowly noticed that the ink below was beginning to bubble. Frowning, he alerted Bendy who also paid attention now as they turned their gaze downwards. Several giant hands made of ink burst forward then, clawed and grasping for the two.

Swiftly redirecting the ink, both Henry and Bendy control it themselves as it gets close to throw it towards the ink devil. Unfortunately, it was becoming a battle of back and forth control for the ink now- and their foe still had more power. Dodging the claws, Henry and Bendy tried to maneuver through the air, but neither knew a lot about flying. As one of the giant hands drew close to grasping them, they quickly spun the dual axe to slash it away.

Unfortunately, the one was replaced by several many more in a hydra-style. 

‘Damn- we can’t just fight them off!’

‘We can’t keep flappin’ ‘round like a big golden chicken, either! What do we do??’

Looking up, Henry quickly directs Bendy’s attention to the hole in the ceiling they’d entered earlier to apprehend Joey. 

‘Up there; let’s see if they can follow us in tight spaces!’

With as much strength as they could muster into it, they flapped their wings hard creating a massive gust that splashed the ink violently and knocked over their friends and the husks alike. At the same time, the momentum had propelled them up the pipe as the clawed hands slammed into it. Slowly, the ink was reshaping and starting to hunt for them through it despite the effort. Bendy sounded not too pleased about it

‘Okay, what now??’

‘Right now? Try to stay in one piece. We’re only just getting started’

Having to run through the narrow pipes with no room for flight, they reached the vent that they’d squeezed through earlier. This time however, they simply broke through it with their weapon as Henry didn’t want to phase through it again- not that they had time to anyways. Running down the hall back to Joey’s office, Henry closed the door as Bendy slammed their back to it as both blink upon meeting two very startled gazes.

Speaking out loud, their combined voice was rather loud for the small space;

“Edgar? Barley? What’re you two doing here?! And how did you  _ get  _ here??”

At first, the two seemed almost stunned by their presence; Edgar especially, Henry noticed, was staring. Considering he was combined with Bendy that was a bit awkward… even more so that he remembered Bendy could hear his thoughts, and the demon was now questioning why it was awkward.

Thankfully, Edgar drew their attention back as he shook his head, hopping up on top of Joey’s desk and knocking things to the floor

“L-Lacie threw us to the pipe, then I helped climb it; we are currently trying to find the controls for the doors letting all those creatures in!”

Barley was next to him going through stacks of things, looking rather stressed

“So far we haven’t found anything, and if you’re here, that means we’re  _ really  _ running out of time…”

Henry and Bendy both frown, tensing as the inky hands slammed into the door from the other side. Looking down, they notice ink starting to leak through the space around it.

“Oh boy- hold on!”

Closing their eyes tightly for a moment, they created another golden barrier to block the door and buy at least a little more time. Edgar and Barley looked impressed, but the fisher was still frantic as he walks up to them

“If we don’t seal the doors, those things are going to overwhelm everyone down there- It’s bad enough with all the ink threatening to melt people!”

Looking around the office properly now, Henry and Bendy started separately scanning over parts of it wondering where the controls were. It was an odd sensation, but efficient to say the least. Internally, Henry starts thinking to Bendy;

‘Where would Joey keep such a thing…? He was always good at hiding controls around the place like a puzzle’

‘Do ya think he’d really make a puzzle fer his own controls down here??’

‘It wouldn’t surprise me.’

They speak out loud then, but it was mostly Henry this time;

“Have you seen anything specifically out of place in here? There’s a chance Joey hid it inside some kind of mind game. It seems to be the theme around this studio”

Barley and Edgar both blink, looking as if they were thinking before Edgar shrugs, shaking his head

“The only ‘out of place’ things I see are these weird objects that actually have color to them. I doubt it would be so simple though…”

Barley waddles over to the desk, frowning and looking under it

“I’ve gone through his desk and a lot of this junk too, but I haven’t found anything… it’s like the control is remote or something.”

Blinking, Henry furrows his and Bendy’s shared expression, the demon making a snide comment on giving both of them wrinkles internally before Henry asked;

‘Remote control… Bendy, do you think he has it  _ on  _ him?’

‘Iunno, only one way ta know that really; we’d have ta search ‘im! I don’t think he’d be too keen about that though…’

Externally, Henry moves one of their four arms to clutch at their shared chest, making a bit of a face. Noticing, Edgar and Barley seem confused, the striker questioned them;

“Are you alright? Is something wrong?”

“Just- getting difficult to hold the barrier. Holding it this long is starting to burn.”

Barley frowns, looking quicker through the desks’ drawers again now. Worried, Edgar hops down onto Joey’s chair, sounding worried as it slowly starts to spin

“If you strain too hard, I assume something bad will happen?”

“You could say that…”

As Henry was focused on his pain and keeping up the barrier, Bendy took over more, moving them closer to the desk and turning their attention towards Edgar. Their voice sounded more like his now;

“Hey… Edgar?”

Blinking, the striker holds out a hand to stop the chair from spinning more as he grasps the desk

“What?”

“Does that chair have wheels on it?”

Making a face, the striker shakes his head with a snort, looking down

“That’s an odd question, is it not?-”

Pausing then, he raises a brow

“Hm. It doesn’t seem to have legs at all… it seems to be part of the floor.”

Confused, Barley turns his attention to it now, sounding a bit annoyed he hadn’t noticed sooner;

“The chair… of course It’d be something I’d miss right in front of me!”

Internally, Henry was a bit impressed. He questioned Bendy while Barley started pulling on parts of the chair, exposing wiring and panels;

‘How did you know it was the chair?? What gave you that idea?’

Snorting internally, he sounded rather amused

‘Simple! When Ed jumped on it, it didn’t move! I figured that would be kinda weird considerin’ mosta these fancy chairs got wheels an’ all, why else would it be rooted to the floor?’

‘Alright. I’ll admit it… I’m impressed. That was a good catch.’

‘Aww, don’t be do mushy on me; I’m sure ya woulda noticed if ya weren’t in pain!’

‘Right. About that…’

Out loud now, Henry spoke with some urgency to Barley

“Do you think you can do this quickly? L-Losing power here, kinda in pain…”

The fisher sounded focused as he responds

“Just give me a minute…”

Edgar was frowning now, approaching the combined two with worry in his voice

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“U-Unless you have ice, not really”

Inside their chest, Bendy’s soul was burning unbearably hot again making him feel like it was on fire. Somehow it didn’t seem to affect the demon, but that made sense when he considered it was  _ his _ soul; Henry was only human so he probably wasn’t made for it. Soon, he’d have to let go of the barrier or risk potentially killing himself by over-using it.

With a loud slam, a force crashed against the door making Henry gasp as he was already straining. Quickly, Bendy took some of it for him, but they were just about out of time now. Outside the door the ink devil’s horrible voice hissed at them making Edgar back away quickly

“ _ You’re fools having cornered yourselves so readily for me! There’s no other way out, and soon, I’ll be tearing through your pathetic blockade! _ ”

Looking over to Barley, Henry and Bendy’s gaze locks on him with their glowing eyes

“Barley, it’s now or never!”

The fisher seemed frantic, trying to work faster

“I-I just need another minute!”

With another slam, Henry and Bendy grimace with pain; holding it was beginning to hurt instead of feel uncomfortable now.

“We don’t have a minute!”

“I-I’m almost done, I just have to-”

With a loud smash, the golden barrier shattered into glittering particles as two huge ink clawed hands broke through and grasped Henry and Bendy. Struggling, they were pulled backwards against what remained of the door that was somehow still partially in its frame.

“ _ You’re finished, Stein! _ ”

Eyes closed tightly, Henry and Bendy’s thoughts were a loud mess of colliding panic before a shout catches their attention; it was Edgar.

“RELEASE THEM, FIEND!”

With a bright flash of light, Henry could hear the ink devil roar in anger as they were being released. Quickly stumbling away from the door, he and Bendy turned to see that Edgar was brandishing the special seeing tool-esque sword he’d lost earlier. Suddenly, it made sense; Joey must’ve taken it after all, and the striker had found it in this office to their immense luck.

Also to their luck, Barley piped up from behind the desk with an electric sparking noise

“I did it!”

Outside the office room all around Henry could hear the metallic screeching of doors shutting. Bendy seemed ecstatic, but Henry was worried; Joey would be even more angry, and when he was angry, he was vicious.

His worry was justified quickly as the room began to rattle ominously. Acting together without hesitation, he and Bendy grasped Edgar into their arms before practically throwing themselves over Joey’s desk. Time seemed to slow down as the whole catastrophe played out.

Henry and Bendy flew over the desk, managed to grasp Barley too, then pulled both as close as possible with their four arms. In the same movement, they had wrapped their large wings tightly around the two and themselves to form a ball of golden light while ink came flooding into the room. Filling the office effortlessly, it washed them out the doorway where the ink devil waited with open claws and jaws, ready to tear them apart.

Unfortunately for Joey and the Ink demon Bendy had something neither of them nor even Henry did; a knack for mischief, and bullheaded last second decisions.

In a split second Bendy willed their shared body to kick off of the floor hard as they could straight  _ into _ the ink devil’s arms and mouth. As a result, their momentum combined with the ink’s force slammed them into their enemy, toppling them on top of giving them a painful knock into their jaw and teeth. The move left the ink devil stunned and in pain as they continued to flow past them and out of the pipe they’d come in from, but Henry and Bendy were not unmarred. It had saved them from immediate danger but left them cut all over by the devil’s teeth and claws, which stung horribly.

Falling back into the heart of the machine with the fountain of ink, the two quickly unfurled their once again tattered wings, struggling to glide down to the others.

Reaching the platform that now had significantly less fighting due to the doors being sealed once more, Henry and Bendy landed rather ungracefully in a heap with the two butcher gang members in their grasp. In the mess of feathers and struggle, Edgar and Barley popped out from under them as the others hurried over to help up Henry and Bendy.

Unfortunately, their combined form’s towering stature was deceptively heavy as it took Norman, Sammy, Tom, and Lacie all working together to lift them back up to their feet. With a huff of disbelief, Sammy looked them up and down

“I’ll be damned... you guys closed the doors! But you’re a bit late; almost all of the lost ones and butcher gang clones with us got turned back into ink” 

Frowning, Henry and Bendy looked around finding that the numbers of their allies were indeed drastically dwindling. They’d taken far too long to help. Cutting into their guilty thoughts though, Sammy tacks on;

“Also, you look like Hell chewed you up and spat you out!”

Norman snorts, shaking his projector head

“Thanks for the input, Sammy.”

“Well, It’s true! They’ve got black marks all over them!”

Frowning, Henry internally questioned about it as Bendy actively started wiping at them. The marks however weren’t budging; infact, each of the dark punctures looked as if they were… spreading? Feeling a bit panicked now, Henry started wiping at them as well exclaiming out loud with their shared voice

“No, not again! I can’t- we can’t fix this!”

Allison approaches quickly, looking reasonably concerned

“Henry- Bendy- w-whatever I should call you, what’s going on??”

Alice angel approaches too then, looking distraught

“They’re infected! And It’s spreading even faster than before!”

Boris whined next to her, pulling on his ears as their various friends expressed concern as well. Unfortunately, the situation only worsened as the pipe in the ceiling rattled behind them announcing the ink devil shooting out of it and unfurling its terrible wings with a loud hiss

“ _ How many times will you delay the inevitable?! You may use your clever tricks to buy mere seconds, but you’ve already pushed this show past overtime; It’s time for your end! _ ”

Despite their situation, Bendy still managed to sass them back somehow (Though, part of it was Henry too);

“If anything, you’re the one who refused to pull the curtains and give up when your reruns began to suck!”

Looking rather angry, the ink devil dove for them with all four limbs extended and claws ready to grasp them. Reacting too slowly due to their combined exhaustion and difficulty with the infection, Henry and Bendy were slammed into the floor and sent sliding with the devil on top of them past their friends. Ink was smeared over the floor from under them, both from the leftover mess of the fight and, Henry realizes, their shared body’s wounds.

Relentlessly, Joey and the Ink demon began to dig new ones into them; Henry and Bendy could only cry out in pain and panic in response. Somehow, Henry was more concerned about the fact that Bendy was getting hurt despite the shared blinding pain. He’d never wanted to drag the little demon into something so terrible. At the same time, however, he could hear the weak thoughts from his companion begging him almost…

‘Stop- worryin’- about me! We're in this  _ together _ ! So quit- Bein’ guilty, an’ FIGHT!’

‘I’m sorry Bendy- I really am’

‘If yer sorry, then help me  _ fight! _ ’

Focusing now, Henry combined what energy he had left to manage to finally throw their enemy off of them. Breathing heavily, they struggled to try and stand only for the sneering Ink devil to push them back down again.

“ _ I’ll admit... we’re both rather impressed at your resilience, but it doesn’t matter in the end. You’ll die the way you chose to live, Henry; a shadow, forgotten and outshined by the /true/ creator! _ ”

Behind the ink devil, Henry just barely noticed that their friends had come closer. Currently, he was struggling to stay conscious at all- but with a shout, Sammy called out;

“The only thing you’re the creator of is  _ failure _ !! ‘Your’ company collapsed under  _ you  _ because of  _ your  _ dumb ideas and DELUDED dreams! At least Henry had realistic goals and not fairy dust to work with!”

Snarling, the ink devil spawned ink scythes in each hand before impaling them through Bendy and Henry’s wings to keep them pinned. Struggling through gritted teeth, they could only grasp uselessly at the weapons as their enemy turned to the others. Holding out its arms now, the ink devil spread its wings in what looked like another intimidation display. Henry wasn’t sure if it was Joey or the Ink demon, but Bendy seemed to think it was both.

“ _ Realism is for cowards who never dare to bend the rules in their favor, mister /Lawrence/. Reality does not control me when I can shape it! Besides; I never used ‘fairy dust’. That would be a child’s fantasy… I used something far more ‘realistic’, as you put it. _ ”

Allison glares now, speaking up and being held back by Tom as she tries to lunge

“You mean the souls of innocent people?! Both as underpaid and overworked gears for your machine, and literal fodder for your- your-”

Tom finishes the thought for her as she was too angry to speak;

“Your demonic rituals?”

“ _ Oh poor dear, you seem quite upset… It’s too bad I couldn’t care less anymore! Besides, not /all/ of those souls were innocent _ ”

Struggling, Henry and Bendy both glare from behind as they were still pinned to the floor

“Yeah, like  _ yours _ . You sold yours first so you wouldn’t have to feel guilty as you destroyed the rest!”

Henry couldn’t tell what the ink devil’s expression was with its back turned to them, but he figured it wasn’t good by the reaction of their friends and leftover allies backing away from it. On the other side, he was grinning with his many teeth, almost amused.

Lacie yells at him then, stamping one metallic foot down loudly;

“I always thought bein’ soulless fit you well, Drew!”

Bertrum buzzes by her shoulder adding on,

“So greedy you would sell even yourself in the desperate attempt to keep your failing franchise above the ink! You, Mister Drew, truly are the epitome of ignorant desperation!”

Susie snorts, chiming in with her own cold fury;

“Not to mention entirely uncivilized with disregard for how you treat those you depend on! Its a wonder you had to resort to drastic measures when you pushed everyone away like Henry, all because you wouldn’t change!”

Flapping its wings, the ink devil created a massive force that knocked most of their friends over aside from Lacie who had to catch the poor tumbling plane that was Betrum. It shouts then;

“ _ ENOUGH! I will not humor anymore snide commentary from lingering ghosts of false copies! Soon, you’ll all be as empty and soulless as the forgettable lives you lead before your DEATHS! _ ”

With a wave of its four arms, the ink devil summoned a flood of ink that washed over the platform; within seconds, all of their remaining allies besides their friends had been reduced to ink. Grasping its hands into fists, the ink devil willed the ink to grab and lift everyone left into the air much like the demon had in the abyss before, making Henry and Bendy fill with a cold fear. Cackling almost maniacally, Joey’s voice surpassed the Ink demon’s rather impressively as he yelled again;

“ _ You’ll ALL be reduced to NOTHING, because that’s all you ever WERE! Useless, naive, pathetic tools in my grand scheme! Now that your use has run out, I’ve all the reason to turn you back into the worthless ink you’re made of! _ ”

Henry and Bendy had to watch as most of their friends started to melt and yell in pain in the grasp of the ink. Those not afflicted by melting were being physically crushed and hurt, leaving none of them unscathed.

Panicking, Henry started pushing himself again, but he and Bendy were thoroughly pinned. There was no choice; he had to use their power. As Bendy’s soul glowed in their chest, the demon cried out with protest in their shared mind;

‘HENRY, WHAT’RE YOU DOING?!’

‘We’re out of options, and they need our help; I’m sorry, Bendy’

‘NO! Th-There’s gotta be somethin’  _ else  _ we can do!’

‘There’s no time to  _ find  _ something else! we have to act  _ now _ ’

‘But Henry, It’ll KILL you!’

‘We just have to hope it won’t. We can do this. I promise.’

Once again he could tell the demon didn’t entirely believe him, but Bendy still supported him nonetheless. If anything, he was at least motivated by Henry’s determination to reach the end.

Combining what little strength and power they had left, the inky scythes dissolve letting the duo struggle up to their feet. Glowing brighter with each passing second, they spread their wings out, bathing the platform in light as the ink devil turned slowly to face them.

“ _ How? How can you /still/ get up?! That should be IMPOSSIBLE! You’re WEAK! _ ”

Closing their eyes for a moment, they reopened them to glare intently 

“I’m strong enough to do whatever it takes to beat  _ /you/ _ .”

Slowly, the ink devil smirked again 

“ _ Ah… now I see. You’re barely even standing right now. Go on, then; do your /worst/ _ .”

As the ink devil mockingly held out its arms, Henry and Bendy closed their eyes again to briefly communicate internally;

‘Henry, what’s the plan??’

‘Hit him with everything we’ve got left, no matter how bad it gets or what it takes.’

‘But what if it kills you??’

‘It’s a risk we have to take. One I’ve been prepared to since the beginning’

‘Henry…’

‘Hey, at least if worse comes to worse... you can say ‘I told you so’ to my puddle’

Internally, Henry could almost see the little demon smiling at him even if it was bittersweet; the moment could potentially be their last together if something went wrong. Right now though, they had to give their best hope and effort they could to save their friends.

With a huff, the ink devil shakes its head starting to turn away

“ _ That’s what I thought. You can’t even make a move right now; you’re nothing but bold claims without the power to back it up, as always… _ ”

Smirking themselves now, Henry and Bendy summoned axes out of light for each hand

“And  _ /you/ _ were always far too confident, turning your back when you thought the battle was over.”

In a flash, they took off from the platform with as much force as they could muster, slamming into their opponent who was mid turning back around. Hooking their four arms around the ink devil, Henry and Bendy returned the favor from earlier as they pulled their startled foe straight up into the air. As a result their friends were released from the ink grasping them, leaving them to try and recover.

Struggling now, the ink devil bared its teeth only for Henry to boldly surprise it, Bendy, and even himself by returning the favor as he sank their teeth into the devil’s shoulder. Howling in pain and anger, the ink devil clawed at them, but they only bit harder while continuing to draw them higher into the air. Nearby, the shard powering the machine glowed brighter the closer they got to it.

Finally spitting out the devil’s shoulder, Henry and Bendy threw themselves hard as they could away from it. As their enemy struggled to flap its wings and recover from falling, Henry and Bendy combined their power to start experimenting with magic. Flapping their own wings just as frantically, golden feathers became darts that rained over the devil who howled in pain again. Each feather had become needle sharp and was now sticking out all over the dark ink of their foe’s body. 

Raising ink, the ink devil started to encase them but it only gave them more fuel to work with. Inside the growing dark, Henry could see his and Bendy’s light burning even brighter and painfully hotter as they turned it the same glowing brightness, taking control of it now. Pulling it from their enemy’s grasp they lassoed the frustrated devil and slammed it hard as they could into the wall before pulling it through several pipes, exploding them.

Loud creaks and groans from the machine began to echo in the room, but Henry was too focused to pay attention to it; Bendy was too, but more so on trying to keep Henry in one piece. Joey and the Ink demon still had more power but they were becoming overwhelmed it seemed as they’d never had to face an equal foe for so long.

Before the ink devil could recover, Henry and Bendy dove towards them with a speed unmatched even by Bertrum. Hitting its back they quickly slammed it into the center metal pillar that housed the shard making everything rumble. Raising their arms then, they dug each of their four light-axes one after another into the devil’s wings- two for each side. Bendy seemed rather satisfied that they’d returned quite a few favors from earlier.

Pushing away from their enemy then, Henry took a deep breath and focused, catching Bendy’s attention

‘What’re we doin’ now?? They won’t stay pinned fer long!’

‘Now, we try and finish this once and for all.’

‘Y-ya don’t mean kill ‘em?’

‘No, no- not kill, but maybe... purify?’

‘What’re ya plannin’?’

‘Letting every last bit of my grievance out in one go on Joey while trying to inspire hope in your other half. You in?’

‘Takin’ out frustration an’ preachin’ fer the greater good? There ain’t a better way, Henry! But... what about you? The soul-’

‘I’ll be fine. You have to believe that, too.’

The demon hesitated, but as the ink devil started struggling free, he quickly agreed

‘Alright. Let’s show ‘em who’s boss, right Henry?’

‘Right.’

In unison now, they slowly started syncing up their efforts more than they had tried to before; breathing, moving, and even thinking as one. It felt strange- almost scary even, but it also felt  _ powerful _ . They both could feel each others’ worries, pain, and fear. They could feel each other’s excitement, faith, and hope. Together, they’d started this story; an artist and his creation. A pencil and a dream. Now, they were going to finish it.

Opening their eyes, they raised their arms over their head along with a massive swirl of ink that became so bright it turned white. Drawing it into a spiral, they began to move it around them as if drawing to create a magic circle much like the one Henry had woken up on long ago. Only this time, it was made of light and hope instead of ink and bad memories.

Thrusting all four arms forward through it, Henry and Bendy yelled as the power overwhelmed them and blasted the burning ink over their enemy whose cry was lost in the force of it. Almost immediately, Henry lost all feeling and vision for a moment as their final assault drained the last of anything he could give. 

Practically connected by the funnel of glowing ink, all four of their minds seem to be fighting in a mixed calamity from Henry’s attempt to ‘purify’ Joey and the Ink demon. Joey’s mind felt like burning hellfire, pure anger, spite and hatred for everything and everyone- especially Henry. The Ink demon’s however was icy cold, dark as the deepest pits of ink, and empty as if he’d been buried deeply for a long time and forgotten what warmth was.

At the moment, the Ink demon seemed to be drawing far away as possible inside so Henry urged Bendy to go after him while attempting to do the same. However, he was quickly barred by the literal firewall of Joey’s anger; soon, they were grappling with one another mentally.

‘How DARE YOU! How dare you use my  _ own  _ magic- my  _ own  _ power- my own  _ EVERYTHING  _ against me! I worked for this power! I EARNED this power! You did NOTHING but leech off of  _ MY  _ SUCCESS!’

Starting to feel rather heated himself, Henry quickly bit back with his own fury for once; something he’d avoided for a long time as usually he didn’t like the feeling that came with anger.

‘You’re calling  _ me _ the leech?! You didn’t earn  _ anything _ \- you used me and everyone else to get what you wanted like you ALWAYS do! The only thing you’ve ever  _ earned _ is your own special place in hell!’

The smug fury emanating from Joey only made Henry feel angrier. It seemed no matter what Joey wasn’t to be reasoned with; especially now that he didn’t have a soul anymore.

‘Funny, Henry, that you think it is /I/ who will be in Hell when you’re already in your own personalized version, are you not? If you TRULY were the good savior everyone makes you out to be, then why’re you down burning in the flames with me?! Face it, Henry; though I never could escape our past, neither could  _ you! _ ’

Feeling both cold and heated, endlessly angry and woefully depressed by it all, Henry felt his emotions starting to spiral out of control. It was clear to him however this was exactly what Joey was hoping for, possibly even  _ wanting _ as It’d mean Henry was losing. Taking a moment, Henry slowly focused; his anger was justified. His pain was not his fault. He had to stop letting Joey make him feel otherwise… and let him hear the truth of how Henry felt.

‘You’re right. I wanted things to go back. I wanted to cling onto the past as much as you. I miss the studio, the cartoons, Bendy, and I even missed  _ you _ \- I missed being  _ with _ you, as your best friend- as your  _ partner _ . And maybe, just maybe, I somehow still do. But It’s gone now, and there’s no going back-  _ ever _ .’

Joey seemed rather surprised at Henry’s genuine response, taken aback as he cries out

‘You could if you’d just agreed to join me! I gave you the choice when I showed you the machine- to make the studio again!  _ Our _ studio! It’s your fault for choosing not to!’

Taking a deep breath, Henry suddenly felt surprisingly calm despite the strength of his emotion. He could remember it now… how Joey had given him that choice. He could also remember tearfully refusing it.

‘No matter how many times I’m given the choice to put everything back and make it ‘perfect’, I’d still chose not to. Don’t you get it, Joey? There’s nothing left for me there, nothing left for  _ anyone _ . Even if I miss the past, I’d never try going back to it because of all the wonderful things I’ve experienced  _ after _ .’

Henry could feel Joey starting to draw away from him now, which was a good sign; he’d gotten to him.

‘You can’t make me regret my decisions or the life I lived Joey. Only I can. And I chose not to. This entire situation, all of the suffering, your regret and loneliness… It’s yours. It’s always been  _ yours _ . You can’t make me feel guilty anymore because this is on  _ you _ , and that’s something you’ll have to bear alone- forever.’

Though still clearly full of anger and hatred, Joey seemed to be trying to escape him; as always, he was a coward when it came to facing reality. The man always had a way of trying to get away from life, responsibility, and the real world they lived in to his fantasies. Henry had to refocus now however, as giving the Ink demon hope was his new priority. Unfortunately, he had wasted far too much time on Joey and they were losing their connection entirely.

As the light burned out from the ink breaking them apart physically and mentally, he found both they and their enemy were falling towards the ink now. Fitting, he thought, that all of them were going down together; if it came to it, perhaps the others would at least be free from any bigger powers controlling and threatening them.


	60. ‘Til Death Do Us Part

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the back and forth clash comes to an end, Henry's friends take their own stand against Joey and the Ink demon proving that magic isn't just for demons. However, the final stand leads to what Henry has been preparing for the entire time he'd been in the studio- something he'd repeatedly told himself could happen, yet he still wasn't sure if he could be ready. Bendy on the other hand refuses to accept such a fate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: injury, violence, impalement, suffocation, bleeding

* * *

Somehow, Henry hadn’t gone fully unconscious. 

Though, now he realized it was likely thanks to Bendy, who was struggling to get him to wake up as they were plummeting towards the ink.

Giving what little effort he could, Henry weakly and poorly contributed to extending their wings so their fall turned into a wobbly glide to the platform where their friends were waiting. Behind them, a loud splash announced the ink devil had not been able to do the same. Similarly though Bendy and Henry tumbled rather painfully onto the metal floor of the platform, sliding a decent distance over it from the momentum.

To his and Bendy’s surprise, the both of them were somehow  _ still  _ conscious even then- but pain and fatigue were quickly weighing them down to the point of being unable to move. Neither of them could even open their eyes or think much for that matter. Around them though, they could still hear sounds that seemed to be their friends approaching; it was a miracle they’d survived, but lucky for them, miracles seemed to be on their side.

Speaking of which, a much less bright light (but still currently achingly bright) came closer to their face before a pair of hands rested over their forehead. Henry could tell Bendy was questioning it as much as he was in their shared mind. Soon, a relieving gentle warmth started making their pain lessen drastically as if warm water was being poured over them.They laid there for what felt like ages passing before the two finally found enough energy to move again.

Opening their eyes slowly, they were greeted by the sweet smile of Alice angel who had healed them at least back to some strength. They managed to smile back blearily, and Henry was about to thank her when Bendy blurts out for them;

“Thanks, Angel”

Giggling, Alice pats them on the head

“Oh, Bendy; I know that’s  _ you _ in there!”

Next to her, Boris whined a little before their gaze turned to the worried wolf. Now it was Henry who spoke

“Hey, buddy; I’m alright thanks to you guys”

Boris seemed to feel better at that, but was trying to lift them now. Groaning, Henry internally spoke to Bendy;

‘We have to get up.’

‘I don’t  _ wanna!! _ Never again!’

‘C’mon Bendy, we have to... Also, we can eat bacon soup if you do.’

‘...uuuuuuUUUGH  _ fine _ . But we’re eatin’ a LOT of soup!’

‘For once… that’s fine by me.’

With a sudden scramble and frantic flapping, Henry and Bendy snapped back to awareness as they stumbled to their feet making Boris and a few others nearly fall over trying to help them up. Tom, Norman, Boris, and Lacie had been trying to get them up physically only to get whacked by their wing flapping.

Feeling exhausted, Henry and Bendy slowly looked around the group to find that some were barely conscious and looked to be in pretty bad shape. Sammy, Susie, Edgar and Allison were particularly struggling with trying to keep themselves together as they’d partially melted. Shocked at the striker having finally fallen victim to the ink, Bendy internally forced them both over as he calls out

“ED!!”

Frowning in unison, Henry turns their attention to all four

“Can they hear us? Are they okay??”

Norman jangled over next to Sammy, kneeling and gently wiping ink from the music director’s bruised face

“They’re not awake, but breathing. Alice Angel said they’ll be okay… at least, we hope so.  _ /I/ _ hope so…”

Henry actually felt rather sad for the projectionist, watching as he practically cradled Sammy. Bendy was too focused on Edgar however so Henry let them turn their attention to the striker. Edgar’s face on his right side (their left) was partially melted along with his leg that had been broken. Kneeling by him, Bendy asked frantically in their shared mind;

‘Can we heal him?? I want to help him!’

‘I-I don’t know Bendy… we’re barely alive as is, and we don’t even know if Joey and the Ink demon will  _ stay _ down. Frankly, It’s a miracle we’re even moving at all right now’

‘But he always helped me! I want ta do the same for him!’

‘Alright, alright- just be careful…’

‘Thank you Henry!!’

Sighing softly, Henry held up their arms with Bendy as they gently tried healing the striker. Tom, who was by Allison now, snorted sounding grouchy as ever;

“You were out for a hot minute, and you’re already using your strength up? Henry, I thought you were smarter than that.”

Slowly, Edgar’s form solidified some, but it became apparent there really wasn’t much they could do to Bendy’s dismay. Trying to lighten the mood a little, Henry turns them to Tom

“Hey, It’s not just me in here you know- oh, shut up”

The self-arguing seemed to amuse the grouchy wolf, if just a tiny bit. He still seemed worried over Allison however which was fair considering their situation. Currently, Henry wasn’t even sure if they’d actually beat Joey and the Ink demon- it was possible they had only bought themselves another break. If anything it made things a bit of a mess because they still needed to separate Joey and the Ink demon in order to open the gateway.

Clanking over, Lacie held up Bertrum in her palm as the damaged toy plane spoke

“So what’s the plan now, exactly? I thought we were supposed to be escaping somehow?”

Frowning, Henry and Bendy glance to the ink speaking both to Bertrum, half to themselves

“We are. We just need to figure it out because… we actually need the Ink demon to do that…”

Lacie shakes her head, looking at the ink with them

“How’re you plannin’ to do that exactly? Rip ‘em in half or something?”

“It doesn’t work like that- not physically, at least. But yeah we need to get them apart which unfortunately requires having them  _ physically _ right here…”

Lacie snorts, turning her clanking robot head to them

“So you need the guy ya just dunked into the ink? Brilliant.” 

Moving closer to the edge of the platform, Henry and Bendy gazed into it feeling unsure. Henry still felt mostly tired, but Bendy had a nervous energy. Internally, he questions;

‘What’s up, buddy? You seem nervous’

‘It’s just… the Ink demon. Usually I can sorta tell when he’s around an’ hear his thoughts. It’s all quiet though…’

‘Maybe they’re unconscious? I wouldn’t be surprised considering’

‘But I can usually tell even  _ then _ . Henry, somethin’s not right… It’s too quiet’

‘What? Like he’s not even there?’

Bendy went silent at that before Henry started to feel the demon’s anxiousness as his own; he suddenly understood the point being made. The Ink demon wasn’t there. They weren’t in the ink anymore.

Backing away from it now, Henry and Bendy turned to the rest of their group quickly

“Alright, gather everyone and move them to the elevator; now”

Confused but quickly following their advice, the others started to collect and move the group. Tom grunts at him, inquiring;

“What’s going on? Why’re we running for the elevator?”

Turning back to look at the ink, Henry and Bendy frown

“The Ink demon isn’t in the Ink anymore. They’re missing.”

Alice angel sounds nervous as she helps carry Edgar towards the elevator

“Where did they go?? Did they just disappear?”

“Don’t know; we can only assume it means they’ll strike any second now…”

Lacie passes them carrying Susie, sounding disgruntled

“Drew never gives up, does he? What’re you plannin’ on doin’ now, big guy?”

Looking down on everyone, Henry had forgotten how much taller his and Bendy’s combined form was. They all felt quite small comparably at the moment. Shaking their head though, Henry re-focused as Bendy spoke to him; this time, it was externally to include the others, though it likely seemed odd from the outside.

“What  _ are _ we gonna do now?? We used up everythin’ we had left! If we try fightin’ again, they’ll kill us for sure!”

The others didn’t seem too inspired by that. Henry counters however,

“We’re not going to die, for one thing. We just need to outsmart them”

“Outsmart ‘em how?? I hate ta admit it, but Joey an’ the Ink demon are pretty dang smart Henry!”

“I have an idea…”

He shares it internally however as the others likely wouldn’t feel too hopeful had they heard it;

‘We’re going to let them attack us.’

Their shared expression became a grimace as Bendy exclaims out loud;

“Aw jeeze! I thougtcha said we  _ weren’t _ gonna die!”

“We  _ aren’t _ . Listen- It’ll work, you just have to trust me.  _ All _ of you need to trust me.”

Norman cuts in then, leaning towards the two

“Trust what?? What’re you plannin’ on doing exactly?”

Before they could answer, the room suddenly became bathed in near pure darkness. Turning quickly, Henry and Bendy caught the sight of a broken ink pipe pouring a film of ink over the machine’s heart effectively blocking out the light from the soul shard powering it. Besides their own glow and Norman’s light, the room was now pitch black.

Frowning, they turn back to the group

“Norman, quick; turn off your light. Nobody make any sound if you can help it”

Sighing irritably, Norman clicks it off

“Ya know I can’t see like this, right?”

“You’ll just have to get help from the others then. Whatever you do, don’t make any sound or use any light”

Tom grunts, eyeing them in the darkness

“What about you, night light?”

“Us? We’re the bait”

Before the others could argue, Henry forced their wings to flap them up and away from the group to leave them in the cover of darkness. Wherever the Ink demon and Joey were hiding, they had become equally as clever; the darkness was the perfect shroud for them to avoid direct conflict. Either they’d been wounded enough to have to rely on stealth, or they finally realized not to underestimate Henry and Bendy.

Despite the admiration Henry had for their new tactic it made him incredibly nervous; he’d never much liked the dark. Bendy’s shared the feeling as the two of them carefully and slowly glided around the darkness searching for the ink devil. It was especially difficult with the many broken ink pipes and the din of the machine, as reflections of ink from many surfaces made spotting the ink devil near impossible- not to mention the mechanical clatter covering any possible sound they might make.

Slowing down to hover in the air now, Henry and Bendy could only blindly wonder where their opponent was. Becoming irritably anxious from the suspense Bendy suddenly summoned several light axes and threw them; they offered small glimpses into the dark where they landed, but shortly dissipated after the fact. Sighing internally, Henry attempts to console him

‘Bendy, panicking won’t help. We can’t go wasting our energy trying to find them like that’

‘And what, just let ‘em sneak up on us?? I’m scared!’

‘I know- I am too, but It’ll be alright. It’s what we want’

‘What?! Yer outta yer mind! How would ya  _ want _ this??’

‘It’ll draw them right to us; all we have to do is wait’

‘An’ let ‘em attack us…’

‘I know it sounds bad, but-’

‘I know, I know; ‘trust me’...’

‘No, Bendy; we have to, because if Joey overdoes it attacking us, he’ll lose the power to keep the Ink demon in control. They’re on a timer before they split apart… we’re not’

Bendy seemed somewhat in agreement on the plan, but still unsettled; after all being attacked meant more injury and pain. Additionally, being hunted was an eerie and almost inexplicable sensation aside from a constant anxious feeling of innate danger from everything around them. Personally, the worst part for him had always been the waiting. Waiting to see when the demon would show up- the build up of his arrival, every little action and sound bringing him closer, waiting to hear the terrible heartbeat...

Now, it was the same all over again, but perhaps worse considering how much bigger and dangerous the Ink demon was combined with Joey.

The longer time seemed to drag on, the more Henry was beginning to feel tired again as well as anxious. Whatever their enemy was up to it seemed they were taking their time which surprised him a little; what was Joey thinking? The longer they waited, the longer Joey risked losing his control of the Ink demon. 

Bendy was becoming ansty again, so Henry sighed and decided to try drawing the wait to an end by nearing the ink. The surface ripples and shimmered as they drew closer, their light reflecting off of it; there was still no sign of the ink devil however. Where could they possibly be hiding?

In the eerie darkness with nothing but the clattering of the machine, they seemed to be the only visible thing in the room anymore. It was almost as if everything else had melted away into the ink…

Blinking then, Henry quietly questioned Bendy internally;

‘...Question; do you think they can turn into ink?’

‘What?? What makes ya say that?’

‘You can’t sense where they are, and we can’t find them…’

‘So yer suggestin’ they melted inta the ink... the ink which is pourin’ from every part a’ the room…’

‘Including right behind us.’

Their back had been facing the central pillar with the machine’s heart, ink cascading down it like a waterfall. Slightly turning their floating head, Henry and Bendy caught a brief glimpse of glinting teeth forming from it behind them. Flinching and trying to move away, they were quickly grasped by the four clawed hands of the ink devil as it flew forward out of the ink.

With a swift dive, the devil slammed them into the platform with a dull echoing thud; despite the pain, Henry was at least glad the waiting part was finally over despite his heart still racing. It was beating so loud it was starting to drown everything out…

...except it wasn’t his own heart beat. Nervously, he realized a pulsing heartbeat was echoing in the entire room so heavy and loud it was slightly shaking the floor beneath them. Bendy seemed unnerved as Henry about it, but neither knew exactly where it was coming from; the ink devil hadn’t been emitting one before, so what was happening now?

As they struggled to try and break free, the ink devil hissed with a voice more potently angry and disturbing voice than it had been before somehow

“ _ You’re not getting away this time- not after what you pulled! If you’re going to be a pain and burn us with light, then you’ll just have to be consumed and drowned by the dark! _ ”

Henry wasn’t sure what it meant by that at first; how could they drown in the ink if they could control it? That is, however, until the burning pain of his infected shoulder suddenly came back full force along with the marks on his face- but he wasn’t  _ him _ right now; how was that possible?

Yelling in agony, the infliction had spread through both their earlier injuries and Henry’s old ones combined. Slowly their light was beginning to be covered and consumed by spidering black veins that burned horribly. Whatever the infection was, it was spreading fast and Henry was terrified by the thought that they would die for real this time. The thought only panicked Bendy, who was also having to suffer the affliction now.

Trying to push away, they were grasped by the ink devil once more who holds its claws over Henry and Bendy’s left shoulder. Frightened and reluctant to have his old wound reopened, Henry tried to yell as the ink devil hissed in their face

“ _ It’s high time you succumbed to the ink again, Henry! _ ”

As claws sank into their shoulder, both Henry and Bendy yelled in anguish while the burning poison-like substance started bleeding from the wound. Dropped to the floor by the ink devil, they lay there twitching and convulsing as the dark infection started crawling over them relentlessly. Whatever it was, neither of them seemed to be able to fight it as it slowly burned through them; it felt like concentrated evil.

Trying to grasp at their bleeding shoulder, Henry’s mind filled with sudden flashes of imagery; a twitching grin, hissing, a loud heartbeat... The cold, clawed hands of the Ink demon reaching for him, trying desperately to catch him in a vengeful angry grasp. A burning, pure, and dark hatred seething from him. The emotion was so powerful, so vile, it felt like poison that would suffocate and burn him.

Gasping and clenching the wound tighter Henry wondered if Bendy could see what he had; he was hardly sure the demon was even there with him anymore. What he was sure of however was that he finally understood. He knew what was inside them. It wasn’t any poison, venom or infection- but something far more potent.

It was the Ink demon’s own ink, which had been festering with nothing but bitterness and vile emotion for decades to the point it had turned more toxic than anything the studio has hosted before. 

It made sense to Henry now why any attempts to reach him or get through his anger had failed; how was he supposed to change when he’d been manifested from physical hatred itself? Bendy had mentioned that the Ink demon was all the ‘bad stuff’ when they’d split, and Henry finally understood how literal it had been.

Now, they were feeling only a fraction of it as it tore into them.

Weakly trying to reach Bendy he briefly heard the demon’s panicked thoughts similar to ‘not again!’. The pain was quickly proving to be too much for both of them, their form rendered immobile as their shared minds and body writhed.

Cackling with cold glee, the ink devil disappeared into the darkness as Henry and Bendy’s glow faded to a weak and dim flickering. 

Having become hidden once more, the ink devil’s voice ominously echoed from seemingly every direction;

“ _ Where have your friends gone to hide, Henry?... Their time has just run out _ ”

The light flickering became more intense until it hurts Henry’s eyes only adding to his and Bendy’s suffering affliction; However, it wasn’t coming from them. All around them, he realizes the others had come running out of the darkness- Norman’s flickering light was illuminating the area.

Frowning, Henry wanted to yell for them to get away- that it was a trap to lure them out, but neither he nor Bendy could bring themselves to even make a sound. Their friends only drew closer while looking concerned; even Susie, Sammy, Allison and Edgar had awoken and managed to drag themselves over in their injured state.

With a cold brush of air blowing over them the ink devil landed quietly with a blanket of solemnity and fear filling the air. It felt as if the reaper had come, ready to show them their end. Despite it however Allison took a step towards the twisted figure of the ink devil, holding her stomach and doubled over in pain yet still standing. Tom reached out to stop her, but she quickly brushed the attempt away as she gazed the devil in the eye.

“You can fight us… you can hurt us- batter us down over, and over again... but it doesn’t matter. You won’t win. You  _ can’t _ win. No matter what, we’re not giving up.”

Staring down on her, the Ink devil burst into a chaotic laughter before sneering

“ _ Why, because you have ‘hope’ in your failed savior? Spare me the pathetic fairytale. They can’t save you now; not even humoring me will save you! But enough talk… now, you DIE! _ ”

Spreading its wings, the ink devil raised ink around the platform preparing to wash away and drown them all. Wincing and grimacing, Henry and Bendy could only watch in their agony as the wave came crashing down; the rush of cold ink did nothing to soothe their internal burning, nor the cold dread they were filled with. 

However, as the dark liquid seeped away from the platform, Henry realized he could still see flickering light… and the others standing there looking surprised as the ink devil. Snarling, he roars loudly

“ _ NO! What could POSSIBLY be interfering NOW?! ENOUGH GAMES- THIS ENDS NOW! _ ”

Summoning a massive ink scythe, the demon swung it towards the group…

...only for it to glance off an invisible force and dissipate instead.

All around them a thin shimmering gold veil glowed from the impact before fading. Trying to think through the pain, Henry questioned it to Bendy, but received no response; either the demon didn’t know or was incapacitated. The glow reminded Henry of the miracle stations though… the convenient, and strange mysterious protection they provided.

Allison glares down the infuriated ink devil who seemed to be on the verge of throwing a fit.

“Who’s the pathetic fairytale now, ‘grim reaper’? Your power won’t work on us. Not anymore.”

“ _ How?! How do you keep DOING this! _ ”

With Tom helping her, Allison stood taller as she gave a small but confident smile

“You can’t control us if you don’t have power over us… and we’re not afraid of you anymore.”

“ _ Then I’ll TEACH you be afraid! _ ”

Turning to Boris, the ink devil tried to intimidate and claw at the typically cowardly wolf only for his attempt to be thwarted once again by the shimmering field. Standing firm with a sniff, Boris puffed his chest while glaring down the devil.

“ _ That Isn’t POSSIBLE! You should be COWERING! You should be DEAD! _ ”

Alice angel stood next to Boris then, also glaring

“It is possible now that we’ve figured it out! This entire time you convinced everyone to always fear and avoid the Ink demon- that he was an evil that couldn’t be beaten…”

Sammy, grimacing still and holding his side, wiped ink from his face before glaring as well

“You taught us to always be afraid. To never fight back, to never step out of line; that there was nothing we could do.”

Barley and Charley hurried over to Edgar, helping him stand as the striker looked up at the ink devil too

“We blindly believed in it all; in you, and your lies! But not anymore. Not when we’ve been given something  _ real _ to believe in!”

Moving closer to the butcher gang, Susie joins them 

“We’ve all played your games by  _ your _ rules for ages… when Henry came along and broke them, we realized there’s more to this Hell than  _ your _ way.”

Huffing with some amusement in her voice, Lacie clanked over and gestured to the toy plane in her hand

“Hell, we’ve seen some wild things that blew the whole routine out of the ink- and It’s all because of Henry”

Norman nodded, helping Sammy stand properly as he turned his blinding light on the devil’s face making said devil grimace and hold up a hand

“Henry taught us that we didn’t have to wallow in misery anymore; that we could follow our own path if we gave enough of a damn to”

Tom snorts, shaking his head

“He proved to  _ all _ of us that our mistakes may not be erasable, but they sure as hell are fixable. We don’t have to let them control us when we can move forward and strive to be better”

Speaking last, Allison surprisingly was smiling

“But most importantly… he gave us hope. The one thing that you could never fight back, or get rid of- the one thing that will always keep you from winning. The one thing that will ultimately set us  _ free _ , because hope gives us something you could never have… the ability to keep moving forward.”

Snarling, the ink devil stomped its clawed left foot causing the whole platform to shake as the heartbeat grew even louder making the room pulse with each beat.

“ _ Your disgustingly corny cliche is useless! Something simple as ‘hope’ can’t POSSIBLY beat DEMON HELL MAGIC! _ ”

With a sniff of contempt, Sammy practically spits

“It is right now, you soulless  _ devil _ ! What’re you going to do about it now?”

Henry was impressed and touched by their words, but equally becoming concerned; if pushed to it, he felt Joey might just use a drastic last-resort measure. Henry and Bendy were still quite useless being in too much pain to move, or do much besides listen to what was going on around them. If Joey did decide to do something…

Going from sneering to smug, the ink devil stood to its full height

“ _ Now? Now, I think I know how to crush this little ‘inconvenience’ you call hope once and for all… _ ”

With a loud step forward, Henry couldn’t tell what was happening but he could hear several shouts as a firm burst of wind from the devil’s wings knocked the others away. Within seconds, cold clawed hands grasped and lifted Henry and Bendy from the metal floor, dangling them in front of sharp and grinning teeth. There was more shouting, but Henry couldn’t quite tell whose it was anymore; especially not when Bendy was now awake again, and yelling in their shared mind.

“ _ I’ll simply tear apart your ‘hope’ at its source! _ ”

Ah. Somehow, Henry should’ve seen that coming, but hadn’t.

The last thing he heard in his head was a small  _ ‘no!’ _ of desperation from Bendy before the ink devil’s claws pierced them again… straight through their left shoulder and out their back. The action left Henry practically numb in a sense as the feeling surpassed painful to the point he wasn’t exactly processing it. What he could process however was the fact he couldn’t hear Bendy at all anymore, and he felt as if they were melting…

In an explosion of gold light and glittering particles, Henry found he was in his own ‘body’ again as Bendy fell to the floor with a heavy thud. Henry, however, was still suspended in the air on the ink devil’s claws which weren’t only in his shoulder anymore- but his entire chest.

Choking on ink rising in his throat, Henry coughed until he felt it pour down his chin as the ink devil smiled venomously at him. Tilting its hand, it let Henry slide off to collapse on the floor next to Bendy. Henry wasn’t entirely sure, but it sounded as if someone had screamed in the moment- perhaps multiple someones even. 

Landing flat on his back, the force knocked away the last of what breath he had, leaving him to stare listlessly at the ceiling. 

He couldn’t breathe.

He couldn’t move.

He couldn’t hear.

And soon, he couldn’t see.

Everything was growing darker, and colder… 

And this time, he wasn’t sure he’d be coming back from it.

  * POV change: Bendy



“HENRYYYYYYYYYY!!!”

Screaming until his voice became hoarse and died out, Bendy was heaving breaths trying everything he could to save Henry. None of his magic, screaming, or tears were working however; Henry was unresponsive and almost completely filled head to toe with the Ink demon’s ink in his veins.

Bendy personally had been freed of the pain and infection the moment they’d split because he was immune to it, having come from the Ink demon. Henry however was suffering the worst of it, being poisoned and pierced at the same time. Now all Bendy could do was wail over him regardless of whether it made a difference or not.

Looming over them the ink devil was laughing with cold cynicism that made the little demon boil with hatred. Standing up a bit wobbly, he glares up at the devil with tears burning his eyes

“SHUT UP! SHUT UUUUP!! YA BASTARD- YA SOULLESS, COLD, DEMON BASTARD! YA KILLED HIM! YA KILLED THE  _ ONLY _ PERSON WHO  _ CARED _ ABOUT YER  _ /MISERABLE/  _ EXISTENCE!”

Still laughing, the devil sneers at him

“ _ Ironic you call me a demonic bastard when you’re the illegitimate spawn of a failed artist’s dreams… if you think I have the capacity to care, you’d be sadly mistaken _ .”

Clenching his hands into fists, Bendy squeezed his eyes shut before shouting again

“HE CARED ABOUT YOU! DON’TCHA CARE AT ALL, EVEN IN THE SLIGHTEST?! DAMN IT- HE LOVED YOU! AND YOU ONCE LOVED HIM! HOW CAN YA BE SO CRUEL?!”

Losing himself to his tears, the little demon started falling to his knees weeping in front of the ink devil

“H-How could ya hurt him like that?! He just wanted ta help… h-he even wanted ta  _ save  _ you, ya miserable  _ sod! _ ”

Still sneering, the ink devil shook its head at him

“ _ His attempts to ‘save’ the Ink demon were futile. He never stood a chance… _ ”

Sniffling and rubbing his eyes, Bendy shakes his own head in return

“I wasn’t just talkin’ ‘bout the  _ Ink Demon _ .”

Seeming a bit taken aback, the ink devil seemed conflicted at that; it was clear that both of them were woefully dense. Joey didn’t know it, but having been in Henry’s mind for a while, Bendy came to realize the truth. Henry hated Joey as much as everyone if not more so- but he still cared. He still had leftover feelings from what used to be. Henry never said it directly to Bendy, but he could tell; Henry wanted to help Joey still. Maybe even  _ save _ him from himself…

Bendy personally thought Henry was far too kind and forgiving to even muse the idea considering Joey’s torture and murder, but that was Henry- and it infuriated the demon. Henry was far too kind to have ever been manipulated by Joey, who didn’t actually care about him anymore while Henry somehow still did. And somehow, Joey still couldn’t see it.

Henry cared about the Ink demon too and wanted to help him as well, but it wasn’t as surprising considering how he felt about Bendy. Bendy still wondered how such a hopeful kind person could ever have the smallest capacity to give a damn about Joey when nobody else did.

Forgoing its confusion, the ink devil stepped closer towards Henry causing Bendy to defensively scramble over and guard him from them with his body

“STAY  _ AWAY _ FROM HIM!”

“ _ Will you quit screaming so much? He’s not /dead/- not just yet. Simply killing him would destroy this place, and not be beneficial to me at all! _ ”

“Then what did ya DO to him?! He looks DEAD ta ME!”

“ _ He’s incapacitated, in a sense, so I can do what I’ve been meaning to do for a /long/ time… remove what he /stole/ _ ”

Frowning, Bendy glances to Henry realizing what the devil meant- the soul half that Henry had managed to keep away from Joey for so long… what was he supposed to do now?

If Joey gained both halves he’d become unstoppable and win. Unless Bendy thought fast, there wasn’t much he’d be able to do to stop him either. 

Looking to the others with desperation, he watched them trying to recover before his eyes met with Edgar’s. The striker looked like he was in pain and rather crestfallen over Henry; it made Bendy wonder just how much the others had been stricken as well by his seeming ‘death’.

The longer he gazed at Edgar however, the more Bendy thought about how said striker had managed to find and use something rather useful against the ink devil earlier...

Throwing an arm out, ink rushed towards the surprised striker causing him and the other butcher gang members to panic at first until they realized it was Bendy’s doing. Quickly, the ink snatched away the special sword Henry had crafted from Edgar’s side, snapping it into his hand within seconds. Holding it up now, he glared down the ink devil

“You’ll NEVER get that soul from him!!”

Chuckling with cold amusement, the ink devil sneered once again

“ _ Or what? You’ll stab me? You can’t possibly believe that’d work. _ ”

Frowning, Bendy paused to think for a moment before shaking his head and holding the sword over Henry now, Aiming it with both hands down at the artist

“I’ll kill Henry!! Ya said It’d collapse everythin’, right?! If I have to, I-I’ll sacrifice him ta stop you!”

Shocked, the ink devil had flinched and looked on edge; the other’s faces were equally surprised and distraught at the suggestion. Of course he didn’t want to- he also couldn’t possibly do it even if he did. Unfortunately, the ink devil could call that bluff too as it growled at him

“ _ You wouldn’t possibly DARE do that. Not only would you kill yourself and everyone here, but I doubt you could bring yourself to /actually/ do it. _ ”

“Ya wanna try me?? If ya get any closer I’ll stab him!”

Distantly, Allison calls out to him

“Bendy, NO!”

Glancing to her, he gets a look of determination

“Henry said he was willing to sacrifice himself… e-even if it meant dyin’!”

Looking back to glare at the devil once more, he shouts

“SO DON’T THINK ABOUT TRYIN’, YA HEAR ME?!”

Seeming unsure, the ink devil looked torn on what to do; shaking its head however, Bendy realized it likely figured his threat could easily be thwarted by simply grabbing him. As the devil suddenly reached all four arms with impressive speed, Bendy launched himself straight towards it at the last second.

Surprised, the ink devil tried to back away- but it was too late. Bendy had sunk the glowing blade of the sword straight through the center of its chest. As it roared with anger, Bendy knew it wouldn’t be enough; not after everything It’d taken just to knock it down for a minute. Twisting the blade in its chest now however, the little demon yells before using his power to pressurize the ink inside the glass blade and shatter it  _ inside _ the ink devil.

Within seconds the ink devil began to shriek so loudly with pain that Bendy’s hearing became pure ringing. In a furious fit, it slammed the little demon away sending him flying to the floor next to Henry. Grunting from the impact, Bendy looked up to see the devil writhing in its own justified agony while veins of golden ink began spreading over and dripping out of it from the shattered blade.

Struggling to stand as the ink devil clawed at the debris in its chest, Bendy ran towards it while picking up the handle that still had broken glass on its end before jumping towards it and shouting

“YER NOT IN CONTROL  _ ANYMORE _ !”

Promptly, Bendy stabbed the broken blade handle into the existing wound making the ink devil howl in pain all over again. Twisting it deeper, Bendy closed his eyes tightly as they welled up with tears

“YOU DON’T OWN ME! YER NOT THE  _ REAL  _ CREATOR! YER NOTHING BUT A  _ LIE! _ ”

With a final thrust of the weapon into the devil’s chest, it dispelled with a force so strong it may as well have exploded. Flung backwards, Bendy hit the floor once more now tumbling a bit as ink sprayed the whole area including Henry and the others. Looking up, he realized he’d managed to split apart Joey and the Ink demon finally- but they both looked worse for wear.

Currently, the Ink demon was hyperventilating in agony over the gold ink which was now lacing over him much like his ink did to Henry. Similarly, Joey was struggling both with the same affliction of golden ink and the fact he had been over-using the Ink demon’s soul half for far too long. Frankly, both of them looked on the verge of passing out.

Shakily standing up, Bendy scoffs at them

“Hmph… s-serves you  _ both  _ right.”

Whether forced to or not, Bendy was bitter that the Ink demon had hurt Henry so badly and given Joey the power to do so too. Bendy also knew the Ink demon’s feelings well, as he was the side that bitterly hated Henry as much as Joey.

Alice angel rushes over then however followed by Boris, pulling him from his thoughts as the former kneeled by Bendy and held him by his shoulders

“Bendy, are you alright?! Y-You sounded so angry and upset, and you look hurt…”

“I’m fine- You should be worryin’ over Henry, if anythin’! He’s the one who needs help!”

Boris whines, moving closer to Henry. Alice frowns, glancing to the two before looking back to Bendy

“I’ll help him in a moment, but what about you?”

“Whatta ‘bout me?? I’m fine, angel!”

“You’re shaking! And covered in bruises and cuts!”

Blinking, Bendy looks over himself to find he was indeed shaking and injured; he hadn’t realized how truly exhausted he was, nor how’d battered he’d gotten.

“I-I’m fine. Just gotta sit down fer a bit… just worry over Henry, okay?”

“But what about-”

“Please??”

Alice frowns still, but nods before turning her attention to Henry instead. Meanwhile Bendy began keeping an eye on Joey and the Ink demon because he didn’t quite trust they were exactly ‘harmless’, even now. At the least they seemed busy with their own struggles for the moment.

Turning to Henry, Bendy found the rest of everyone had gathered around him too, all looking worried. Allison turns to Bendy, her brow furrowed

“What’re we supposed to do now? We never found any kind of cure for this!”

“I-I dunno… the only thing we  _ can _ do that’d help is takin’ the ink outta him, but he’s really weak already…”

Joey scoffs from behind them, sneering as they turn to look at him; even without his power and struggling in pain, he was awfully confident.

“There’s only one possible way to help him at this point if you ever want him to wake up. Either remove the demon’s soul from him, or the infection will only keep consuming him”

Sneering back, Bendy stamped one foot

“Why should we believe  _ you _ of all people?!”

“Because I’m the one who happens to know how this  _ works _ .”

Sammy scoffs then, looking irritated

“Which is also a reason  _ not _ to trust you! Removing it could either kill him, or give you what you want without helping him!”

“Fine. Let Henry suffer, then; It’s your own fault for refusing to believe me...”

Bendy felt conflicted then; Sammy could be right that it was a setup, but what other choice did they have? Glancing to the Ink demon who was still writhing in pain, he gets another idea.

Walking towards the Ink demon, the others gave a small chorus of protest, Edgar in particular hurrying over to stop him by grabbing his arm

“Bendy, stop!- Approaching him is dangerous!”

Gently pulling his arm from the striker’s grasp, Bendy frowns

“I know, but he’ll know what ta do. Joey Isn’t the only one who knows about these things...”

Reluctantly, Edgar didn’t try to stop him again as Bendy now approached the hyperventilating Ink demon. Frowning down at him, Bendy shakes his head with a sigh

“You already heard us, so what do ya know, huh? How’re we supposed ta help Henry?”

Seething, the Ink demon glares at him; he may not have eyes, but Bendy could tell.

“ _ Why would I bother helping /you/ after doing /this/ to me?! I’ll let you all suffer… _ ”

Feeling frustrated at the lack of cooperation, Bendy glances to Joey before leaning closer to the Ink demon and speaking through clenched teeth

“Because if ya don’t, then you’ll  _ never _ be freed from Joey,  _ remember? _ ”

Looking equally frustrated, the Ink demon almost spits at him as flecks of gold ink dripped from him

“ _ Fine. Yes, Joey’s telling the truth; I used your soul half to continuously generate my ink. I may be the corrupted one, but you’re far from perfect yourself… I simply fed on your own imperfections to spread that poison inside him. Your own soul is killing him slowly _ ”

Glaring, Bendy felt tempted to attack the weakened Ink demon, but he knew it would be pointless

“Yer a real nasty snake, ya know that?!”

The Ink demon chuckled a bit at him despite his own pain. Turning away from him to leave him writhing again, Bendy hurries back over to the others

“Joey’s tellin’ the truth. We gotta get my soul outta Henry”

Norman snorts at that, his head bobbing a bit

“Didn’t someone mention it being real unstable without a host body though? Where the hell will we put it?”

Allison shakes her head at him

“Isn’t it obvious? We’ll give it back to Bendy.”

Blinking, the little demon realized that she had a point; he hadn’t even realized he’d be getting his own soul back in the moment, he’d just wanted to help Henry. Alice angel smiles at Bendy then

“Aren’t you excited about that?? You’ll finally get your free will back!”

Frowning down at Henry, Bendy shrugs a little

“I dunno… Henry never used it against me so I think I already had it… He also won’t be able ta use any of my powers anymore, includin’ healin’ an’ stuff that he needs”

Tom cuts in then, looking at him intently

“Either way, he can’t keep it anymore- It’s killing him. He’ll just have to deal with it like the rest of us. We’ll figure it out”

Nodding, Bendy looked down at Henry with a soft sigh; in a way, he was a bit solemn. He and Henry wouldn’t be connected in a literal sense anymore… maybe that was a good thing as it gave him independence, but it still made him feel sad. He was happy to know his heart was safe in good hands.

Lacie cuts in however, interrupting his thoughts

“So, how’re you exactly gonna exorcise it from him? I don’t know about you, but I don’t have a fancy spell book or magic circle to lend…”

“Oh- right,”

Bendy knelt by Henry, pulling a folded sheet of paper out of Henry’s pocket; it was from the small journal the Ink demon had sent him hunting for. Unfolding it, Bendy skimmed the page before looking up at the others

“We should probably take a step back fer this…”

Taking his word, the group gave Henry space while forming a sort of ring around him. Standing a little closer, Bendy looked at the paper once more to read the spell that would break the soul bind. He just hoped that he wouldn’t accidentally remove the wrong soul if it actually worked, seeing as Henry’s was in there too.

Starting to read off the strange words, Bendy felt a rather unwelcoming energy filtering around them while his voice began to echo with whispers. He’d used plenty of demon magic being one himself, but Joey’s spells were a whole different level from his own cartoonish ones; something more malicious.

He continued regardless, and the further he read, the more the area started blowing with cold air on top of the uncomfortable energy. Norman’s flickering light being the only illumination wasn’t helping the already unnerving atmosphere either.

Slowly, Henry’s chest began to glow with a familiar light that Bendy knew was his own; soon, It’d be free from the artist. As he came close to finishing the spell however, something grasping his arm caused him to falter and break the ritual, immediately dispelling the energy. Frowning with frustration, he looks down to find whose hand had grasped him.

“H-Henry??”


	61. The Demon’s Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After facing near death, Henry is prepared to take on anything that might happen next- or so he thought. Finally, the moment arrives to free Bendy and the Ink demon from Joey and himself- but the result was far from what he could ever expect. Struggling with reality, even the Ink demon can't figure out what he truly wants anymore as their world begins to crumble again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: bleeding mention, violence

* * *

There was no doubt about it. Everything inside and out screamed that Henry didn’t want to be awake, nor should he even be  _ alive _ for that matter. Despite even being impaled in the chest, he had somehow managed to stay together against incredible odds. Though, how much longer he’d last, he wasn’t sure; especially with the burning pain in every tiny inch of his body. At the very least, the worst of it had gone numb which was his chest and shoulder.

Seeming confused, distraught, yet glad all in one, Bendy suddenly launched into questioning him;

“W-what’re ya doin’- How’re ya even awake?- Hey- I’m tryin’ ta help, why’d ya stop me?!-”

“Don’t.”

“Wh-?”

The little demon had been caught off guard by his response. Frowning more, Bendy moves closer

B-but if I don’t, you’ll die!! I ain’t lettin’ that happen-”

Struggling with great difficulty, Henry slowly started to prop himself up, frowning and looking past everyone towards Joey

“I know. Just… not yet…”

“Huh??”

“Just trust me.”

The demon looked lost still, as did everyone else; Henry would be lying if he didn’t feel a bit lost himself, too. But he couldn’t have Bendy remove the soul half- not yet, at least. Joey still had the Ink demon’s, and if he lost Bendy’s, he’d be entirely defenseless while Joey would manage to pull something on them despite his current state.

Right now what they needed was to exorcise both of them at the same time. Henry was currently the only person who was a match for Joey, so removing the soul too early could prove catastrophic for them. He’d also probably be the only one capable of keeping him down while they used the unbinding spell.

The others rushed over then, all seeming relieved to see him; it hadn’t quite dawned on him yet that they’d practically watched him  _ die _ . The first to speak surprisingly was Susie, who pushed past Allison who was going to speak first originally

“Thank the HEAVENS you’re alive!! All those times I joked about killing you- I never  _ actually _ wanted to see it  _ happen! _ ”

Giving a weak smile, Henry raised an eyebrow as the others gave her looks

“I know… you were never really evil, Susie.”

Allison sighs, stepping forward now; she looked worse for wear, hunching over despite support from Tom to help her stand

“Henry, we were really scared. We thought…”

“I know… but I wouldn’t leave you all like that. J-just gotta hang on, y’know?...”

Allison didn’t seem too encouraged by that, nor does Sammy who voices what they were all thinking;

“You’re practically on  _ death’s door _ right now! How can you possibly still be trying to comfort  _ /us/?? _ ”

Bendy sighs, shaking his head

“It’s just who he is… big ol’ soft dummy who thinks of others first, no matter what”

Henry smiles more at that, wanting to shrug, but he was barely even propped up right now

“Someone has to after everything that’s happened…”

The others started to kneel around him, clearly wanting to help but not being sure how; Henry, however, had other plans. He starts to drag himself towards Joey, letting out a gasp of pain that made Bendy rush to his side and flail his arms

“What’re ya doin’  _ now?! _ Ya crazy old man, stop movin’ fer ink’s sake!!”

“I have to get- Ugh- to Joey.”

As Henry pulls himself an inch further, the others all started taking hold of him while Bendy almost squawks at him

“What?! Henry, I think yer blood loss is gettin’ to yer brain!!”

Grimacing, Henry wanted to laugh, but he was in far too much pain for it.

“Just… help me.. Please?”

Bendy pouts at him before glancing to the others, who Henry realized were in various states of their own surprise and worry. Sighing, Bendy started muttering about Henry being crazy before waving a hand at them

“Don’t push him down- yer only makin’ ‘im worse…”

Reluctantly, they let go of him while Tom comments

“He’s probably just gonna drag himself away if we do…”

Regardless, they still let go.

While they discussed whether bringing him to Joey or not was a good idea, Henry continued dragging himself over the floor indeed; Tom wasn’t wrong. At the least, the ink helped make it easier somewhat.

Noticing and glaring at Henry, Joey scoffs at him

“What do you think you’re  _ doing? _ ”

“What-”    
Dragging himself another inch, he grunts    
“-Does it look like?”

Staring for a moment, Joey sneered before trying to move towards the Ink demon now. It was almost a sad spectacle, really; two old men dragging themselves over a metal floor in near pitch darkness towards an equally sad demon. The Ink demon seemed aware of it too, and started trying to crawl  _ away _ . If it weren’t for being focused on catching Joey, Henry would’ve been rather amused.

Interrupting the old man slug race, Bendy quickly used his control of the ink to lift and bring both Henry and Joey over to the group now, giving both of them dirty looks

“Alright ya idiots, quit doin’ that! Makin’ an old man cry is pretty high on the ‘I don’t like doin’ that’ list, but watchin’ old men  _ drag themselves over the floor?? _ That’s just- That’s just SAD! So  _ quit it! _ ”

Henry stares blankly for a moment before snorting a laugh; he finally couldn’t help it anymore. Joey, however, had perhaps the coldest and angriest look Henry had ever seen on his face. It only made him laugh more despite his horrible pain. Spitting a bit of gold ink, Joey glares at him

“I’m glad you find our suffering so  _ amusing, _ you  _ child! _ ”

“I can’t believe you’re taking this  _ seriously  _ right now...”

Bendy snorts then, giving them both a look

“Yer both out of it!! Can we get on with savin’ ya  _ /now/ _ , Henry?? Time is kinda ‘of the essence’!”

“Right- sorry…  _ /now/  _ you can.”

Nodding, Bendy held the two firmly with ink which Henry was thankful for; on the one hand, it would keep Joey from escaping. On the other hand, it was keeping Henry from falling over or bleeding anymore than he already had. 

As Bendy started to use the spell again, Henry closed his eyes feeling cool air brushing over his face. There was also some strange, ominous energy in the air a lot like static before a lightning strike. Joey, however, was struggling furiously despite his state; it didn’t surprise Henry that he was trying to fight back. What  _ did _ surprise him however was hearing Joey starting to whisper something that sounded similar to what Bendy was saying. It dawned on him quickly then- Joey had written the spell, so he’d know exactly how to stop it.

Opening his eyes, Henry calls out

“STOP HIM- COVER HIS MOUTH!”

Unfortunately, he’d startled Bendy whose spell began to falter again, but the demon quickly picked it up again while the others rushed closer. Joey struggles again, shouting

“No- NO! GET AWAY FROM ME! YOU’RE GETTING WITHIN A DANGEROUS ZONE RIGHT NOW WITH THIS SPELL-”

The threat fell flat as Norman promptly slapped a hand over his mouth, his bright light turning on Henry making him squint

“You have no idea how satisfyin’ that was just now.”

Grimacing a bit Henry shakes his head

“Satisfaction or not, you need to get  _ away _ from us- and  _ soon _ ”

Susie snorts then

“So we need to stuff something in his mouth and run? We need ideas, and quick!”

Piping up then, Edgar saunters over with a determined smug expression

“Oh, I have the  _ perfect _ thing my angel; Allow  _ me _ ”

As Norman moves his hand away, Joey started shouting again

“DON’T YOU DARE EVEN  _ THINK _ ABOUT-”

With a metallic clank, Edgar’s extendable arm shoved its fake fist into Joey’s mouth. Twisting it, Edgar pops it off leaving it there before backing away. Henry had to give him credit… it was perhaps the funniest, and most fitting thing to happen to Joey in a long, long time. Not to mention the look on his face was priceless.

Despite the humor however, the others started hurrying away as the floor around Joey and Henry shook; Bendy’s eyes had started to glow too, and the demon was rising off the floor. Frowning, Henry waved his legs a little as he and Joey start to lift away with him. Rising higher, Joey’s muffled anger was lost to the loud rushing air swirling around them. It was so strong it was blowing ink off of the machine’s core making flashing blips of light flutter now and again as more ink poured in to re-cover it from the broken pipe.

Looking down, Henry found the others seemed to be amazed as he was- no matter how much of it he’d used or seen, magic was always impressive. His amazement became nervousness however as bright lights shone from both his and Joey’s chests. Practically beating inside of him, Henry could feel the warmth of Bendy’s soul half… and its presence trying to find a way  _ out _ . It was uncomfortable to say the least, as it felt like something living was moving around in his chest.

Grimacing again, Henry struggled with discomfort on top of his pain realizing Joey was doing the same. Closing his eyes, he decided panicking wouldn’t be worth it at the moment; he had to accept what was coming, and whatever would happen next. Taking deep breaths he slowly calmed himself as a loud echoing heartbeat became the only thing he could hear. It was beating in time with the energy inside his chest.

Hearing Bendy call out the last of the spell over the rush of air and heartbeat, Henry and Joey both gasped as the lights inside them came bursting out. Breathing fast and shallow, Henry watched as they went flying, one hitting Bendy in the chest as the other found the Ink demon off in his hiding corner. Immediately after, all three of them start to fall, but Bendy was quick to catch them with ink and lower them to the floor.

Laying on the cold metal, Henry was glad that Joey could no longer control or use the Ink demon anymore; Bendy and the Ink demon were free. Despite it though, he couldn’t help but feel somewhat disappointed about losing his own connection to the little demon…

Speaking of, Bendy hurried over to him

“Henry!! How’re ya feelin’? Are ya okay??”

Taking in more shallow breaths, he furrows his brow

“Y-yeah. Just… finding it difficult to breathe…”

Bendy frowns then, looking worried

“Henry? J-Just take a deep breath!”

Joey coughs a bit, finally managing to spit out Edgar’s prosthetic fist

“It’s no use; without your soul, his wounds and current infection are still too much”

Indeed, Henry felt as if an important warmth had been taken from him; now, he was cold… much colder and weaker. He was struggling to stay awake, but he couldn’t do much without the extra soul. Getting upset, Bendy shouted

“You LIED! Ya said he’d survive if we REMOVED IT! Th-That’s not FAIR!”

As the demon stamps his foot, Joey sneers smugly

“I didn’t  _ lie _ , I just didn’t say it would help- just not how  _ much _ ”

Stamping again, Bendy continued shouting

“But whatta ‘bout this whole ‘dimension’ thing, huh?! Ya said It’d fall apart if he DIED, an’ he’s DYIN’! Why aren’tcha SCARED?!”

Spitting gold ink again, Joey continues sneering

“Because I have a  _ plan _ ”

Rising out of ink near them now, the Ink demon was just barely standing, but he had what was clearly a projector in one hand and ‘The End’ reel in his other. Wheezing and struggling just to keep his eyes open, Henry furrowed his brow, looking to Bendy who was gawking a bit. Shaking his head, Bendy shouts at the Ink demon now

“What’re ya  _ DOIN’?! _ W-We  _ freed _ ya!! Ya don’t gotta listen ta Joey anymore!!”

Grinning coldly, the Ink demon looked down on Joey who was currently still sneering until the demon speaks;

“ _ I know. Which is why I’m /not/. _ ”

As the Ink demon dropped the projector away from himself, Joey’s face fell as fast as the projector had. Holding up ‘The End’ reel, the Ink demon pressed it between both his hands before crushing it with a resonating snap that made Joey flinch next to Henry. Gawking himself now, it was Joey’s turn to shout

“Y-YOU- HOW DARE YOU! DO YOU HAVE  _ /ANY/ _ IDEA WHAT YOU’VE JUST DONE?!”

Chuckling darkly, the Ink demon’s head snapped down to glare at both Henry and Joey

“ _ Yes, I do. I’ve eliminated the one thing that would give /you/ power back. And now… _ ”

Shivering violently, the Ink demon roared before throwing his arms out; with the motion, all of the gold ink flew free of his body, burning out as it hit the floor

“ _...I’m going to play by /MY/ rules! _ ”

Looking disturbed, Bendy shook his head stepping forward

“What about gettin’ outta here?! Whatta ‘bout the plan ta leave!”

Turning his attention to his smaller half, the Ink demon hisses

“ _ None of them deserve to EVER leave. They’ll all perish in this sickening grave of their /own/ making- their greed, envy, wrath and more has far more than earned their place in /Hell/! _ ”

“But whatta ‘bout us?! Whatta ‘bout  _ /you/?? _ Ya realize if we don’t leave, everythin’ll collapse an’ we’ll die  _ too! _ ”

To emphasize his point, the whole room shook with a loud rumbling that caused them all to stumble. The Ink demon calmly stood there however before looking up at the machine’s heart

“ _ That is a price I’m willing to pay… As a creature that never should have existed, It’s only fair that existence be erased with the treacherous fools who created it. _ ”

Frowning, Henry wanted to say something.  _ Anything _ . About how he didn’t deserve to die, nor that he was a mistake; that none of them were truly ‘evil’, besides Joey perhaps. But right now, he couldn’t even breathe anymore.

Slowly, his vision was blanking out as all sound became distant and the floor shook beneath him. the last thing he saw was Bendy’s face of distraught over the Ink demon’s words before darkness overtook him.

-

Cold. Everything was perpetually cold in a way that wasn’t overwhelming, but just enough to cause discomfort.

Henry wasn’t sure where he was, or if he was even alive anymore; all he could tell was he was cold.

Despite it however, he could feel a burning that was intense and furious running through his veins. Normally It’d cause him agony, but like the cold, it was mostly just discomforting.

He couldn’t see or hear anything around him, including himself, but he could tell he still existed in some form. Reaching into the endless darkness, he attempted to find anything. His fingers brushed against something inside it only for him to recoil as an electric pain shot through his arms as if he’d grasped a livewire.

Frowning, Henry wondered what was going on; he had to do  _ something _ , didn’t he? Even if he didn’t know what it was, it was at least  _ something _ . So, reasonably, he should apparently grasp whatever he’d touched regardless of the consequence. Reaching his arms out again, he braced himself before firmly grasping around what felt like some kind of vein in the dark.

Once more the terrible electric pain shot through his arms so intense it made him yell into the echoing emptiness. Not letting go however, he was starting to sense something else-  _ /someone/ _ else. An angry, and very hostile presence trying to fight him away it seemed. But he still wasn’t letting go.

He wasn’t going to give in, no matter what.

  * POV change: Ink demon



Hissing with anger and frustration, the Ink demon clutched his head shaking it furiously; how  _ dare _ he?! How dare Henry try and access his mind like this when he’d  _ just _ been freed of the other parasite using him! Regardless, the old artist was persisting and not letting go; he wanted to reach him no matter what.

Infuriated, the Ink demon wanted anything  _ but _ to talk to the artist, no less let him into his  _ head _ ; unfortunately for him though his ink inside the artist’s veins made it possible for him to do so. Henry was using his own tactic against him now, accessing the Ink demon’s mind due to the ‘corruption’ having gotten too close to his soul. It was an unintended consequence, and it was one the Ink demon was strongly regretting.

As he continued shaking his head and hissing, Bendy spoke nearby sounding confused

“What the Hell is  _ goin’ on?! _ You got a headache or somethin’?!”

The Ink demon spat his response back venomously

“ _ Your ‘beloved’ creator is trying to get into my /head/ like a PARASITE! _ ”

Clenching his hands over his head, the Ink demon shouts then

“ _ Get OUT OF MY MIND! STOP IT! /STOP/! _ ”

Still baffled with confusion, Bendy shook his own head

“Yer talkin’ nonsense! Whaddya  _ mean _ he’s tryin’a get in yer head??”

Irritated, the Ink demon lashed out physically this time by sending a wave of ink towards Bendy who flinched and quickly redirected it away and off the platform. Even if Henry managed to get into his mind, the Ink demon wasn’t going to back down without a fight- and he had more than enough spite to spread for every last being in the room.

Rising up to his full height and ignoring the artist pressing to get into his mind, the Ink demon focused on Bendy. His other ‘half’ who’d run off and become something he equally hated… and the only thing left that was a threat to him. Perhaps there was some kind of irony or meaning with the fact he’d be killing ‘himself’, but he couldn’t care enough to ponder it.

“ _ Nothing you do will matter now, nor ever; your efforts will be in vain so long as I still stand! You will never experience true free-will, individuality, or meaning beyond what has been written for you! In the end, we’re all nothing more than a makeshift nightmare! _ ”

Increasing the size of his arms, the Ink demon clawed at Bendy who dodged them before shouting back with desperation

“THAT’S NOT TRUE! It won’t be in vain ‘cause we haven’t lost- I’m not givin’ up! An’ What do ya even know about all that stuff anyways?? Y-Yer nothin’ but a PUPPET listenin’ ta everythin’ Joey told ya!”

Snarling, the Ink demon lunged for his smaller counterpart, the two clashing and struggling to overpower the other

“ _ Funny you think I’m the only ‘puppet’ here when you’ve become an extension of Henry’s beliefs! Tell me; did you find them on your own? Is all your ‘hope’ really /yours/? Is freeing everyone for ‘you’? Face it, you pathetic cartoon shadow; you’re nothing more than an echo of Henry’s dreams as I am an echo of Joey’s nightmares! _ ”

Looking distraught, the little demon shut his eyes tightly before shoving away the Ink demon with surprising force; he’d underestimated him it seemed. Regardless, the Ink demon only reinitiated the struggle- he wasn’t keen on giving up. Bendy shouted as they clash once more, ink flying in every direction causing the circle of spectators to shy away from them

“S-so what if I want what I Henry wants?! I chose fer myself ta follow him! I  _ /chose/ _ ta help them!”

“ _ Why? Because you wanted to be ‘good’? You can’t be what goes against your very existence- We’re DEMONS! The only ‘good’ that comes from us is punishing the equally corrupt! You’re blindly pretending someone else’s beliefs are your own to trick yourself into thinking you’re good, even for a second, the same as /me/ _ ”

Slowly, Bendy was beginning to crumble; he’d always been susceptible to his  _ /own/ _ words, afterall. They shared a similar mindscape and thought process having once been one in the same. 

“ _ You know It’s true. You’re just as evil as /me/ _ ”

Starting to overpower him, the Ink demon was grinning with cold satisfaction before a voice outside  _ and _ inside his head shout a word simultaneously, setting him off kilter;

“ _ NO! _ ”

Startled by the combined volume, the Ink demon shoved away from Bendy while shaking his head before looking over to see the persistent striker glaring at him.

“Bendy was  _ never _ evil as you! He came from a good heart, and has one of his own- no matter whether you and he used to be one person, he is not  _ you _ any longer! Perhaps you have not realized but your separation allowed him to change and grow; I  _ know _ Bendy is good- and not because he is pretending!”

Irritated, the Ink demon took a step towards the striker thinking how easy it would be to crush him into a lifeless puddle. He had to give the sad little spider some credit; he was standing his ground rather confidently for someone in line to die.

Lunging for him, the Ink demon suddenly stumbled and faltered as Henry’s irritating voice spoke in his head causing him to miss the striker entirely;

‘LISTEN TO ME! You’re not evil either! You weren’t  _ made _ evil, and you know it! Don’t you remember?!’

Shaking his head once more and hissing, the Ink demon suddenly found a large arm made of ink yanking him backwards away from the others; Bendy had recovered to retaliate. Turning in its grasp, the Ink demon used the rush of ink to slam directly into Bendy, sending both of them flying over the platform and towards its edge. Digging his claws in, the Ink demon skid while very narrowly avoiding going over; Bendy had not been so fortunate.

“ _ Get out of my HEAD! No amount of flowery empty words can change what I was turned into! It can’t ERASE ANYTHING! _ ”

Nearby, Joey had the audacity to add onto the conversation

“I told you he’d keep trying; Henry always tries to make the best of  _ anyone _ , even if they try to kill him first! He’s the deluded fool- not  _ me! _ You  _ know _ you’ll never be more than the horrors you came from-”

“ _ Shut. UUUUP! _ ”

Tired of both ‘creators’ now, the Ink demon took it out on Joey who was susceptible and well deserving of it. With a snap of his wrist, the old man was flung violently by ink towards the others who moved out of the way. Hitting the wall near the elevator, Joey fell rather limp to the platform floor; unfortunately however, the Ink demon could still sense he was alive.

Once more within his head, he heard Henry speak; if he could, he’d rip the man out with his claws even if it hurt himself in the process.

‘Joey’s wrong- he’s always  _ been _ wrong. You’re not his mistakes- you’re not  _ anyone’s _ mistake. Maybe you weren’t what Joey wanted you to be, but that’s not your fault! He should have loved you for you-’

“ _ I’m the mistake you’re about to REGRET, STEIN! _ ”

Turning his attention, he spotted the artist’s defenseless body laying unattended. Despite his malformed leg, he started running towards it with full intent to tear him apart. Unfortunately, Bendy came flying back out of the ink with a flood that washed both of them away from Henry.

“Like HELL am I lettin’ ya hurt him!!”

Taking back control of the ink, the Ink demon freed himself before holding it over their heads like an ominous cloud. He had to admit; he was beginning to become very annoyed, and very frustrated with the situation. The others rushing over to protect Henry too now was only adding to that frustration.

“ _ You’re all so desperate to protect someone who will never free you so long as I stand! How can you be so miserably blind?! _ ”

Bendy snorted, giving him a dirty look

“The only blind one here is you, thinkin’ like Joey!”

Taken aback, the Ink demon snarled as Bendy continued

“We ain’t protectin’ an’ helpin’ Henry just fer some promise of freedom- that’s selfish! We’re protectin’ him because Henry’s our  _ friend _ , an’ we care about ‘im just as much as he cares about  _ us! _ ”

“ _ You’re all so- /disgusting/! I despise Joey just as much, if not /more/ so, but at least he doesn’t believe in such /childish/ things! _ ”

“Yer mistake is thinkin’ It’s childish to be  _ happy _ with friends and family, ya dip-stick! If anythin’, yer the  _ real _ child, wantin’ nothin’ but ta be angry an’ sad all the time without takin’ responsibility fer the bad things ya helped do! Yer always pointin’ out the bad stuff about me, but whatta ‘bout you?! If anyone’s lyin’ to themselves, It’s  _ you! _ ”

Frowning, the Ink demon was infuriated, but he’d internally taken the words to heart- after all, Bendy was right. 

He’d never wanted to become evil. He’d never  _ wanted _ to hurt people- but how could he not have? His hand was forced when Joey  _ made _ him do it. But deep down, he knew part of it was his own fault. He hadn’t fought it when he could have and fell into the same bitterness as his ‘creator’. He’d become a mere tool and extension of the man he hated to exact a revenge that he’d been deceived into thinking was his own.

Bitterly, he realized he  _ /was/ _ thinking like Joey; never admitting fault, always blaming others, and being fueled by nothing but spite and hatred- all while clinging onto the past. 

Clenching his teeth, he felt overwhelmed with an anger that was different than before; this time, it was anger for being shamefully exposed to his own faults and hypocrisy. It was a wonder Joey hated Henry if this is how he usually made him feel. 

Trying to let out an angry shout, he caused Bendy and the others to flinch as it came out as a horrid scream instead- it even surprised himself in the moment. 

Shaking slightly, he took a deep breath while the room fell into a sort of silence aside the chorusing machinery around them. As he and Bendy stared one another down, he heard Henry inside his mind once more; this time, he did nothing to try and block it out

‘It’s not your fault’

Frowning more, the Ink demon remained silent, prompting Henry to continue speaking;

‘Maybe you’re right. Maybe you weren’t ‘meant’ to exist- but really, who is? You weren’t given a fair start, or a fair chance. You were forced into a world that you never asked to be part of then unrightfully shamed for it.’ 

Another silence from the demon prompted him to continue;

‘Maybe I could have been there to stop it. Maybe this could have all been avoided… but there’s no use in speculating what  _ could _ have been, because what you said is true; there’s no erasing the past.’

Leaning forward slightly, the Ink demon started taking slow steps towards Bendy and the others circling Henry, their group looking more nervous with each step

‘But that’s why we move  _ forward! _ You don’t have to be caught up in what could’ve been when you can focus on what  _ /can/ _ be! You weren’t always this way- you once had an innocent heart, and Tom saw that in you. I’m doing what I can to see it in you too. You  _ can _ be good if you choose to, which you can do now- you can  _ choose _ !’

Reaching Bendy, the Ink demon sneered down at him as the little demon held out his arms and stood unmoving to guard Henry

‘I understand you were hurt… that we hurt you. You have every right to be angry, and every right to hate us- but you, like everyone else, still have another chance to make it right. If you let us, we can help you. You can be more than what Joey made you out to be because you’re your  _ /own/  _ being; you’re free now, don’t you see that?’

Staring silently at one another, Bendy slowly got a look of understanding. To everyone’s surprise, he actually moved aside to let the Ink demon past. Walking towards Henry with Bendy in tow, the Ink demon was slow as everyone’s eyes followed him in the near pitch darkness.

‘I won’t force you to be or do anything; not even save us… all I can say is... I’m sorry. For everything that happened. For not having been there, or being able to save you. I hope you’ll give me a chance to make things right… a chance to show you you’re more than just a nightmare  _ or  _ a dream- you’re you. But It’s your choice now.’

Looking down on Henry, the Ink demon let out a deep sigh before holding both hands out

“ _ Right now, all I want is you out of my head. _ ”

Also holding his hands out, Bendy became focused as they combined their power; it was something they hadn’t been able to do since the beginning of this nightmare. Separate, they were powerful, but lacking in their true capabilities; together however, they were able to do much more…

Both glowing slightly, they held their hands over Henry on either side of him. Slowly, the light rained down over the artist from their extended palms. All over Henry’s body the black ink infection began to subside and shrink away until it gathered into a single point in his shoulder. Not feeling too sorry about it, the Ink demon made a jerking motion that pulled the corrupted ink free from him; he had no doubt it still hurt even when he was technically ‘dead’.

Reabsorbing the ink, the Ink demon helped Bendy once more to finish healing Henry. Though it was slow, it was working, and soon he’d be back in his own mind and thankfully out of his. Pressing the last of the artist’s internal presence from his own ink, the Ink demon snapped both hands away breaking thin strings of barely perceivable light; in a way, it was almost like tearing off puppet strings to break their accidental ‘bond’.

Watching Bendy lean over Henry, the Ink demon quietly watched and waited. Surely enough, the old man’s eyes slowly started to open; he looked rightfully tired and confused, though the Ink demon still felt no remorse for his state. Instead, as the artist smiled and embraced Bendy, the Ink demon felt bitter all over again- but he had to be patient. Slowly, Henry looked to him with a smile that made the demon want to wipe it off his face. He never wanted the sappy sympathy.

“You saved me…”

Standing straighter, the Ink demon gave him a pleasant smile; he had to put up an act just long enough…

“ _ Yes. I suppose I did. _ ”

As Henry struggled to get up, the ring of others finally broke as they all rushed in to help him; a pity party in his eyes. The artist took his time to talk with and reassure them, but whatever he was saying was lost to the Ink demon as he was focused on his own thoughts. Any moment, he’d be able to fulfill what he truly wanted…after all, he’d finally been given a choice. A chance to  _ choose _ . And now, he fully intended to use it.

Slowly, Henry broke free of the group to their disapproval so he could approach the Ink demon. As he’d predicted, the old man wanted to ‘personally’ thank him. Disgusting... but exactly what he wanted.

“I know things aren’t exactly great, and you’ve been through a lot... but this is a small step that counts for a lot”

Shrugging slightly, the Ink demon stared at him quietly for a moment. It was rather difficult to see more than a silhouette, especially in the dark; his vision had never been very good.

“ _It counts quite a bit, really… especially now that I can make a real decision_ _on my own will_ ”

“That’s right. What do you intend to do now?”

“ _ Now?... Now, I’m going to put an end to this. You’ve all fallen right into the place where I wanted you... _ ”

Henry looked confused at first, but as the demon’s grin slowly spread with full malicious intent, a nervous look of realization dawned on him. Behind him, Bendy shouted, but it was too late

“HENRY,  _ NO- _ ”

With a grand gesture of his arms, the Ink demon activated a magic circle that he’d created in the ink on the platform while fighting with the others. Glowing with a light that was far from benevolent, it caused everyone aside from himself to become frozen in its grasp as they all shouted with pain. Chuckling darkly, he tilted his head while approaching Henry slowly, the artist frozen with a pained grimace on his face

“ _ You underestimate my resentment. I have no desire to ‘make things right’ when all this time we’ve been drowning, crawling, and writhing in our sins. You’re right about me being free to make my choice... and I gladly choose to wipe every last being away with myself! What would be a more fitting end for this crumbling empire of failure than to take all that it ever touched down with it? _ ”

Struggling to no avail, Henry still managed to speak somehow; almost impressive. Almost.

“You don’t- have to- do this!”

“ _ No? Perhaps not… but I /want/ this! I want to see it all washed away into the permanent darkness colder than any pit or well of ink. The release of non-existence, never having to suffer the pain of awareness ever again- /that/ is a saving grace for /all/ of us! Before that fall however… _ ”

Stepping closer, the Ink demon grasped Henry by his neck, lifting him away from the floor causing him to hang limp as he was still unable to move.

“ _...I’ll at least grant you an early death so that you might find your peace sooner for freeing me. Thank you for that, Henry… but unfortunately, this is where it ends. _ ”

Around them, the darkness began to rumble loudly and violently as the ground shook under them. Clenching Henry’s throat tighter, the Ink demon held up his right arm turning it into claws, preparing to end his creator once and for all. Despite the suffocating darkness, he could still see a lone tear roll down the artist’s face…

“ _ Don’t cry… soon, you’ll finally be free- isn’t that what you’ve always wanted? The glorious euphoria of being unbound by time and space? Thanks to you, I understand it… and I finally will share that with you. _ ”

Holding his arm back, the Ink demon knew he was hesitating despite having no reason to; soon, he’d be freeing Henry of the eternal Hell Joey had dragged them all into, so what was he waiting for? Raising his arm higher still, the shaking of the room grew more violent until he started to lose his balance. Quickly, he pulled ink over to hold him stable to the floor, but something odd was happening. Something wasn’t right.

Oddly enough, he could swear he could hear the distant flickering of a projector’s reel spinning, but it sounded a lot like it was preparing to fall off.


	62. Hello to a Friend, Goodbye to Another

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A choice made, and reality shifting- but not just because the air is breaking into other dimensions. For Henry and the Ink demon, shocking answers shift the reality of their views making them re-evaluate things they'd held onto their whole lives. Henry in particular finds himself almost near forgiveness as he says goodbye to someone he'd never thought he'd want to again... whether the closure is genuine, he can't be sure, but they can only move forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: unreality, mild violence

* * *

It was happening again. Despite his promises to avoid it at all costs no matter what, it was happening again, and Henry could do nothing to stop it.

As the air itself began to crack with light leaking through each fissure, the darkened room was lit up with a new ominous light reflecting off everything. Interestingly, the cracks were encircling the platform in a dome-like shape with him and the Ink demon in the center. Struggling to breathe, Henry looked down to see the Ink demon frowning and looking confused, even possibly afraid. Henry felt that he had every right to be.

Slowly, the cracks were beginning to open up into rift holes; by the wall, Joey had finally recovered and was staring up with equal awe and horror. Henry wondered if Joey had actually known this was possible or if he’d been bluffing about the dimensional collapse this whole time. Either way, everyone was witnessing it all over again.

Widening, each hole looked like a shattered opening from a broken mirror letting in light of all different kinds and angles. Through them however was something Henry couldn’t have possibly expected less- something that surprised him even more than the last time somehow. Each opening showed some variation of the Ink demon apprehending their versions of himself.

Staring up and lessening his grip some, the Ink demon was frowning intensely while whipping his head around in confusion and nervous fear

“ _ I-I don’t understand- what’s going on?! Why is this happening?! _ ”

Watching the other dimensions, Henry witnessed all kinds of possibilities before his eyes; the Ink demon brutally tearing him apart in cold blood, the Ink demon losing and dying himself, Henry and the demon becoming one, a giant twisty version chasing him upside down a staircase, and many, many more. With a heavy heart he realized that most all of them had some form of negative consequence in how they were ending. Still, he hoped that at least theirs could potentially be better...

Struggling to speak again, Henry found he still couldn’t quite move

“Y-Your choice… You have- to make- your  _ choice _ ”

Whipping his head to stare up at Henry now, the Ink demon raised his arm to strike again, actually sounding surprisingly panicked

“ _ What?! But I’ve already /made/ my choice! I’m going to end it all and let it fall apart! That’s my choice! _ ”

Watching the demon’s clawed hand shake however, Henry knew he hadn’t. He was having doubts.

“Then do it.  _ Choose _ ”

He could hear Bendy cry out for him from behind, but it was no use; it was the Ink demon’s turn to choose what would happen next. For once the fate of all their lives was entirely in his hands, and it seemed he hadn’t been prepared for it.

“ _ I-I already have! I… I chose the darkness! I chose! _ ”

However, as the rumbling grew louder and the other Ink demons and Henrys came to their decided endings, the remaining demons and copies of himself turned to stare at them. Many had haunted looks about them, possibly of regret. 

“ _ W-Why’re they looking at me like that?! Why’re they staring?! Can’t you hear me- I made my choice already! Leave me ALONE! _ ”

Getting lifted up again, Henry gasped for air and closed his eyes tightly as the Ink demon finally swung…

...but instead of pain and death, Henry found himself falling to the floor as the Ink demon’s claws slammed into the metal instead.

Kneeling next to him, the Ink demon was shaking

“ _ I-I don’t understand… I don’t understand- why, why, WHY?! After /everything/ I’ve been through- after /everything/ that’s happened! I still can’t /kill/ you! _ ”

Coughing and rubbing his throat, Henry took a moment to recover before struggling to roll onto his knees next to the Ink demon. All around them, he was keenly aware of the burning watchful gazes of their alternate realities. Speaking in a wheezy, quieter voice, Henry answered him;

“Because It’s  _ not  _ what you want… It’s what you  _ thought  _ you did”

Shaking either with fear, anger, or something else, the Ink demon looked to him with a face that was full of wild desperation

“ _ But It’s all I’ve ever aimed to do- to take you and Joey down! If I can’t even do that, then- then… _ ”

“Then you have to think about what you  _ really _ want”

Silently staring at him for a moment, the Ink demon turned his gaze up into the many holes. To Henry’s amazement, an inky viscous tear fell from his face

“ _ I don’t know… I don’t know! I don’t know what I want! I’ve been a puppet for so long… _ ”

Frowning himself, Henry pondered the demon’s words; maybe he hadn’t truly wanted to kill this whole time. Perhaps the Ink demon had never been able to truly kill him not just because Joey withheld him, but because the demon had never truly wanted to. Perhaps there was something inside him that kept him from it… something wanting more than pain, death, and empty revenge.

“Hope... you have hope.”

Slowly, the demon turned his gaze on Henry again as he cried more inky tears in confusion

“ _ Hope? Me? Y-You’re lying- that’s not possible! _ ”

“It is, and you can use it. Just listen to it… what are you hoping for?”

Gazing around at the other Ink demons and Henrys, the Ink demon frowned; slowly doing the same, Henry uncomfortably realized they were getting closer. The other demons and versions of himself were looking a lot like they were preparing to invade any moment now. Panicking a bit, Henry looked to Joey who shouts at them

“He has to make a choice! If he doesn’t, they won’t close!”

Turning to the Ink demon again, Henry gently grasped his shoulders

“Think- look deep, deep into your mind! What have you  _ always _ wanted? What have you  _ always  _ dreamed of, wished for-  _ hoped _ for?”

Shaken, the Ink demon stared at Henry before stuttering

“ _ F-freedom. I’ve always wanted to be free- but I /am/ free now! I… _ ”

“No, you’re not. You’re still trapped as long as we’re inside this studio. None of us will  _ really _ be freed until we open that gate and leave”

Silent again, the pain of time running out was becoming apparent as the rumbling kicked into full force again. Clinging to the Ink demon, Henry hugged him tight as he could shouting above the noise

“YOU HAVE TO MAKE UP YOUR MIND- WHAT DO YOU WANT?”

Suddenly, the demon’s voice changed in the moment, no longer a layered and disturbing demonic mess- instead it was the raspy whisper-like voice similar to the singing he’d heard a while back. Tensing in his grasp, the Ink demon clutched him back just as tightly before crying out loudly;

“ _ I WANT TO LEAVE! I WANT TO LEAVE THE STUDIO AND /NEVER/ COME BACK! _ ”

With a calamity of sound and light, the cracks all cut off their inhabitants from escaping into their dimension with a snap. Slowly, the rumbling began to subside, but as Henry opened his eyes he found that the cracks hadn’t gone away entirely; they seemed to only have been stalled for the moment. 

He took a moment longer however to just hold the Ink demon in his grasp as it was something he’d never been able to do before… something he’d never dreamed he could. The demon was even returning the embrace, giving Henry a familiar and strong protective warmth he had every time he embraced with Bendy. An unconditional love for his creation.

However, Bendy calls out breaking the moment to remind them…

“HEY!! CAN YA MAYBE LET US FREE NOW?! THIS HURTS!”

With a slight flinch of realization, the Ink demon shoved away from Henry while frowning and glancing to the others; he didn’t seem sure. Frowning as well, Henry glanced at the cracks before looking back to the Ink demon

“Please- we don’t have much time! Help us get out of here and I promise you can leave, and we won’t chase you; you can be free to choose your own life! Just help us get out before it’s too late!”

The Ink demon was rather frozen however, a lot like a deer in headlights. They were running out of time though and even if Henry wanted to be patient, he didn’t currently have the luxury. Grasping the demon by his shoulders, Henry shook him

“Snap out ot it!! If you don’t do something we’re all going to  _ die _ !”

Shaking his head then, the Ink demon finally raised his hands and deactivated the magic circle freeing them all. As the others collapsed and struggle to get to their feet, Henry quickly stood before offering the Ink demon his hand

“You have to help us. Only you and Bendy can open the gateway out- please. Help set us free?”

Staring at him once again, it seemed the Ink demon was finding everything rather shocking to the point he was struggling to react to anything. Slowly though, the demon took his hand allowing Henry to help him up; he spoke in a low, but clear manner

“I… I just want to leave...”

“And we will, but right now, we have to hurry!”

Hurrying over to their group now, Henry looked up at the machine’s heart which was still being doused with an ink leak covering the room in darkness. Norman swung his projector head around to look up at it, giving a better view as he spoke

“So, let’s get things straight- the place is literally fallin’ apart, reality itself is breakin’ down, an’ we still have to try and get that bit outta the machine an’ hope it doesn’t collapse reality itself on us?”

Susie scoffs, looking up as well

“Sounds easy enough?”

Tom shakes his head then, looking to her

“Yeah, minus the part where shutting down the machine’ll cause it to collapse faster and all of us with it”

Bendy shudders, looking to Henry with worry while gesturing at the Ink demon and himself

“Not ta mention it bein’ kinda like our beatin’ heart! If we stop it, will we get a heart attack??”

The Ink demon was still frowning; even he seemed unsure. Sighing, Henry shakes his head

“I don’t know- we’d have to ask Joey, but I’m not sure he’ll exactly help us.”

With a huff, Lacie windmilled her robot arms as if needing to stretch them

“Allow me”

As she clanked over towards Joey, Henry heard his old ‘friend’ panic and shout before Lacie forcibly lifted him off the floor by the back of his neck, carrying him like a scruffed animal. The closer she got with him, the louder his shouting became

“LET GO OF ME YOU ANIMAL!! HANDLING ME LIKE SOME KIND OF PET- I’LL NEVER HELP YOU!!”

“Ahhh shut up before I  _ make _ you, Drew. An’ trust me… you  _ don’t _ want me ta  _ make _ you.”

Thankfully, Joey had the common sense not to test her. Shaking his head again, Henry turned to Joey

“The machine. What’ll happen when we remove the soul shard powering it- both to this place, and to Bendy?”

Joey however simply sneered before spitting at him. Stepping away, Henry made a face before looking to Lacie who raises a fist

“Speak, or I’m gonna punch ya in the crotch so hard you’ll be barren as Bendy over there”

Gawking, Bendy sputters

“HEY- WHAT?! WHAT’S THAT SUPPOSED TA MEAN?!”

Joey continued to sneer however, not looking too intimidated somehow; even Henry had cringed. Finally speaking now instead of shouting, he glares at her

“You think your petty childish threats will bother me? You hurt me, and you lose any chance of getting me to talk- not that I  _ would _ anyways…”

The Ink demon snarls then, making Henry and many of the others flinch as the demon turned to Joey and grasped his face with claws

“Either  _ /tell us/ _ or I’ll  _ /force/ it _ out of your head with the most  _ /agonizing process possible/ _ . I can, and WILL burrow directly into your  _ brain  _ if I have to”

Finally, Joey’s face had paled a bit and he’d taken the threat seriously; it didn’t offer Henry much comfort as it meant the Ink demon was very much capable of doing so.

“Christ- You’re all out of your minds!! A bunch of pack animals gone lose, I swear!”

“ _ TELL US! _ ”

“Alright, alright- calm down you hotheaded demon!” 

The Ink demon snarled one more time making Joey grimace before he looked to Henry and finally answered;

“If you shut off the machine, this entire dimension  _ will _ start to collapse- more than it already  _ has _ . Not only that, but the Ink demon and Bendy’ll both start to melt; there’s a short window before they completely perish, but every time the machine turns off it ‘kills’ them! It’s a damn pesky problem I could never get around”

Both Bendy and the Ink demon seemed a bit disturbed by that, but unfortunately, they didn’t have any other option; the machine was going to be shut off no matter what they did. Frowning, Henry looks to them with a desperation- he didn’t want to lose them when they were  _ so close _ to freedom. Turning to Joey once more, Henry practically pleaded

“There has to be some way! There has to be  _ something _ we can do so they survive!”

Sneering all over again, Joey, shook his head

“Sorry, Henry; I hate to break it to you, but outside of this world, they can’t exist without the machine”

Furrowing his brow, Henry pondered his words… outside they couldn’t survive, but they could here? 

“Why?”

Staring blankly with confusion, Joey snorts

“Why what??”

“Why can’t they survive outside of this dimension?”

“Wh- like Hell if I know! They just can’t! Listen Henry, you can’t just take a cartoon and slap it in real life and expect it to live- that’s like pulling fish out of water and asking them to  _ breathe _ !”

“Fish out of water?...”

Henry turned to look at both demons as mild rumbling began to shake the room again, wondering… what  _ was _ it keeping them from persisting in the other world? 

Joey sighs at Henry’s silent confusion, shaking his head 

“They can’t survive without the machine because it tethers them to our world. They’re practically magic- and magic doesn’t really  _ exist _ in our world. At least… not  _ usually. _ Thanks to the machine we were able to pull them through and keep them alive… but it’s  _ far _ from perfect; for one thing, It’s difficult to keep running perpetually for them!”

Sammy spoke up then, sounding like he’d caught on to what Joey was saying

“The machine… I-It’s always been this- this weird ‘thing’ we had to do rituals for to ‘keep it going’; is it some kind of magic generator??”

Tom snorts, crossing his arms

“The thing spews infinite ink without supplies to even make it…  _ magic _ ink. It was built to generate somethin’ alright, but I was kept in the dark about it- until now, at least”

Henry looks to Joey, giving him a stern look

“You built a magic generating machine to keep toons alive in our world… and you used it for  _ evil?? _ ”

Joey gives him a look of amusement in return

“You can’t look at me and act surprised when the stuff It’s generating is run by  _ dark _ magic, Henry- of freakin’ COURSE IT’S EVIL!! This whole damn debacle was evil  _ from the start!  _ I mean, come on, Henry! Demons!! What else do they run on, laughter and happy smiles?!”

Bendy looked like he was about to debate that point, but Henry sighs and cuts him off

“Either way, without it making ‘magic’ for them to live off of, they die in our world… unless what? They have something that would anchor them to our world? Something from  _ our  _ world that has its own magic?”

Joey sighs, shaking his head

“But there’s no such  _ thing _ ; thus, the machine, Henry.”

Furrowing his brow, Henry shakes his head

“You’re wrong- there  _ is _ something we have that has its own magic… I learned that by spending a lot of time with Bendy and I sharing it…”

Bendy stepped forward then, nervously glancing at the glowing cracks that were starting to spread again before looking back to Henry

“Ya don’t mean yer  _ soul?? _ Are ya sayin’ we need a  _ human soul _ or somethin’ to survive without the machine??”

Frowning again, Henry nods

“That’s exactly what I mean.”

Joey rolls his eyes then 

“But I already  _ tried _ giving them souls; it didn’t work!”

“That’s because you tried using the entire thing- that’s shoving someone inside someone else’s body forcibly then expect it to work. A  _ piece  _ however…”

Sammy cuts in once more, pointing a finger now

“I may have had an extensive history of demon worship, but I am  _ not _ sacrificing myself for that”

“Relax, Sammy- I wasn’t going to ask  _ any _ of you guys to do that.”

Allison steps forward, shaking her head

“Then what  _ do _ you plan to do? You have to figure it out fast because we’re running out of time”

Glancing to Sammy, Henry sighs making the music director give him a funny look

“Well, Sammy’s not entirely off… we need a sacrifice from someone. And if anyone here is the ‘sacrificial sheep’... It’s always been me.”

A wave of mild shock spread across the group before Bendy sputters at him

“B-b-but that’d mean losin’ part of yer soul-  _ permanently!! _ An’ like, fer all of us toons! That’s a lotta toons Henry!”

Alice angel holds up her hands, grimacing

“I could  _ never _ ask you to do that- ever!”

Boris whines in agreement before Edgar pipes up

“What about us?? I highly doubt you would want to do that for the  _ butcher gang _ ”

Lacie chimes in, causing them all to turn to her

“Actually, he doesn’t have ta. At least not fer you butcher-bunch. I dunno how ya didn’t notice, but yer not exactly 100% toon”

Edgar stares in surprise before stepping towards her

“W-what in this ink drenched Hell do you mean by that, madam?!”

“What I  _ mean _ is I noticed the moment I met Barley. He kept sayin’ an’ doin’ things that seemed so  _ familiar _ \- an’ eventually, it hit me. I used ta know him! He was one of the Gent fellas I used to work with back then”

Edgar and Charley both turedn to Barley who looked shocked; the fisher nervously looks at his hands before looking up at Lacie

“Who… who was I?...”

“You? Ya used ta be a quiet fella named Barry; always workin’ with tools, avoidin’ loud people an’ crowds, keepin’ to yerself like me… don’tcha remember? Ya used to be human, just like me”

Staring for a moment, the fisher slowly grasped his head while the ground gave another warning rumble

“I… I remember. I was human…”

Bendy snorts, shaking his head

“Well, that explains it- ya bunch were never  _ really _ like the old butcher gang! Honestly, I like ya guys waaaay better though”

Edgar and Charley both began looking at themselves in wonder, clearly pondering who they used to be; Barley seemed confused, but somewhat glad to finally know who he was. He spoke up again, Looking to to Lacie

“I don’t know how I’d forgotten… it feels so strange to me now”

Lacie shrugs, looking to the other two

“This place has done weird things to  _ all _ of us. I’m not that surprised y’all forgot who ya used ta be… I hardly even remembered my own name either”

Edgar exchanged a look with Charley before looking towards Bendy

“I can’t… remember who I was. I hadn’t even realized…”

Allison urgently speaks up again however, gesturing at the cracks

“I hate to cut this short, but we’re still running out of time and we haven’t solved what to do for the other toons; we’ll have to figure you guys out later”

Henry looks to Bendy and the Ink demon, both of whom were frowning at him

“No matter what, I’m going to give you two part of me; as your creator, It’s only fair when I intended to from the start”

Bendy whines, trying to protest

“Henryyyyyy! I don’t  _ wanna _ steal part ‘a yer soul!!”

“It’ll be okay. We shared before… it won’t be any different, really”

The Ink demon shakes his head however, looking to Henry

“Maybe for you two, but it won’t work for me… I know it won’t. You didn’t create me…”

Slowly turning to Joey, the Ink demon sighs

“ _ He _ created me…”

Bendy scoffs, frowning up at him

“Well, that’s kinda an issue considerin’ the guy doesn’t HAVE a soul anymore!”

The Ink demon looked crestfallen at that, but Tom’s voice crackled into the conversation

“No, he didn’t.”

Confused, they turned to face Tom now

“Joey didn’t create you.  _ I _ did. I’m the one who built and turned on the original machine that made you... I watched it create you. Technically,  _ I’m  _ your creator”

Looking shaken, the Ink demon seemed to be reevaluating his entire existence; after all, Henry figured it would be a huge relief to have not been truly related to Joey. 

Allison furrowed her brow, looking to Tom

“Tom, what’re you saying?...”

“What I’m sayin’ is I let him down. Joey took him away and corrupted him… and I let it happen. It’s my fault he became like this. But now I can make it right- just like I said I would. I’ll give you a piece of myself”

Shocked, Bendy and the Ink demon both gawked at him before the Ink demon began to tear up again

“Y-you… you would do that for me? A terrible, heartless monster?...”

With a sniff, Tom shook his head

“Yer not a monster; you were just misguided.  _ Horribly _ so, but still misguided. So yeah; I’m willin’ to do that for you… I wanna make up for what happened, and for lettin’ you down all those years ago.”

Allison gently took Tom’s arm as the room shook a little more violently, causing him to have to catch her as they stumbled

“Tom, you realize what this means??”

“Yeah, and I’m okay with it; it ain’t the worst thing that’s happened to me, y’know? ‘Sides… I always loved him the way he was. And didn’t you want a kid anyways?...”

Allison whacks him gently as the others snicker before she sighs

“He’s not- that Isn’t the same! But…I guess that settles those two. But what about-?”

Susie cuts in then

“Fine! I’ll give part of myself to Alice. She gave life to my dreams anyways; It’s only fair I return the favor.”

Alice angel turns to Susie, looking like she could cry

“Susie! I couldn’t ask you to!”

“Then It’s a good then you don’t have to. I’m done taking parts from others for  _ good… _ now, It’s justifiable I give part of myself, don’t you think?”

“But what if you start melting again??”

Susie seemed unsure, but the Ink demon spoke calmly to her

“You won’t. If it’s shared with another you’ll be perfectly stable- besides… your melting wasn’t just a side effect of a missing soul piece… it was far deeper than that”

Susie scoffs, giving him a look

“What’s  _ that _ supposed to mean?”

Bendy snickers, teasing her

“It means you were a real corrupt and nasty lady!”

Before Susie can give a sharp response, Boris whined loudly drawing the group’s attention. Henry frowns, looking to him

“What about Boris?...”

The group was quiet then; there didn’t seem to be anymore eager volunteers left. Glancing to Tom however, Allison sighs 

“You know… you always  _ did _ love Boris so much”

Tom blinks, glancing to her with a frown

“Allison-”

“Listen, if you’re going to be able to make that choice, then I am to. I’ll help Boris. After all… I fell in  _ love _ with one, didn’t I?”

She smiles at Tom whose ears slowly flop with both embarrassment and solemnity before he hugs her

“You’re really embarrassing, y’know that?..”

Allison beams hugging him back before she turns to Henry

“We’ve figured out  _ who _ will share with them… but  _ how _ do we do it? Isn’t splitting souls dangerous and really hard to do?”

Henry shrugs at first, feeling unsure; he didn’t exactly know how it worked, nor how to even do it. He felt a bit helpless on the subject until Joey spoke up suddenly, looking surprisingly... solemn

“It Isn’t if It’s done willingly. Offering either the full thing or a piece of your soul makes it easy to remove it… it should only take a second.”

Henry blinked, surprised that Joey had offered such information- especially without being threatened to

“Joey?...”

Sighing, Joey looked down; it was hard to take him entirely seriously however when Lacie was still holding him up by his neck

“I would know because I did it when I made a ‘deal with the devil’ you might say… why do you think I don’t have mine anymore? Why I can’t walk, despite everything that might’ve been able to heal me? Sometimes you accept a bad deal and sacrifice things for a price that maybe, just maybe… wasn’t worth it in the end.”

Slowly frowning, Henry actually found that he was beginning to feel at least a little sorry for his old friend. In a way, he always had somehow despite all that had happened- but now more so than ever.

“Joey... I’m sorry it came to this...”

Huffing a weak laugh, Joey looks him in the eye

“Don’t be. It wasn’t your fault. It’s like you said; without my soul, who even am I  _ really  _ anymore? You were right… you were  _ always _ right- and it infuriated me. But still... the real Joey you knew is long gone. I’m just a shell- the  _ true _ shell here.”

The machine rumbled much louder now, causing everyone to fall over as the cracks widened once more, threatening to re-open. Free from Lacie’s grasp, Joey had completely collapsed; Henry had quickly moved by his side however, frowning and wanting answers

“Joey, I didn’t mean for it to- I just wanted-”

“Save it, Henry! It doesn’t matter anymore; all that matters is that you hurry up and do what you need to before It’s too late! Forget about me- forget about this place, and everything about it; you have to  _ leave! _ ”

“But what about  _ you _ ?”

“Me? I made my choice long ago when I gave away my soul, Henry; you really think there’d be anything else waiting for me outside this place than Hell? It’s too late for me… but it Isn’t for you”

“But why now?? Why’re you suddenly acting nice- you said you couldn’t care anymore! Are you trying to deceive me again? Is this just another cruel joke?”

Susie calls out, sounding rather hostile

“Don’t believe a damn word from him Henry! It’s got to be another trick!”

Sammy scoffs, joining in

“He’s absolutely just trying to manipulate you again- get into your head and make you do what he wants!”

Henry felt conflicted, thinking it was likely true… but Joey was telling him to leave; what could he possibly gain from that? He was actually hoping somewhat that he had something left of his humanity...

Sighing, Joey shook his head as the others struggled to try and get up while the ground was still shaking. He looked regretful, and almost pained; but Henry wasn’t sure how genuine it might be

“It’s not a trick, if you’ll believe me… I’m sorry I did this to you- abused your trust like that. Maybe I can’t feel as sorry for the others, but I  _ always _ have for you. I promise I’m not lying; please, if ever again, just believe me this  _ one _ time Henry. Look me in the eye… I promise I’m not lying about that.”

Staring wide eyed, Henry found it rather difficult to meet his gaze, but as he did part of him knew… it wasn’t the keen, collected and calm look Joey had when he lied. He looked broken- desperate even… like his act had finally been beaten. Continuing to speak, Joey held his gaze

“The truth is… I don’t know  _ why _ . It’s funny, really; at the most inopportune moments, it all comes flooding back to me as if my soul came back. Like… like blips into my old self off a broken film reel. But it doesn’t last- It always leaves me too soon… but you don’t have time to worry about that- Just go! Before I try and stop you again, because I  _ know _ I will”

“But-”

“Henry,  _ please. _ Just- let me do this  _ one _ thing. Of all the horror and mistakes I’ve made in my lifetime… let me at least do something  _ right-  _ just this once?...”

To his surprise, tears were falling from Henry’s eyes now- burning and heavy. He could hardly see, nor hardly believe what he was hearing; of all the things he’d witnessed this seemed the most impossible. Joey had actually  _ apologized _ and admitted his faults. Henry could never forgive him, but it was something he still always wanted to hear at least once...

Blinking rapidly, he sniffed before surprising Joey with one last thing. He Embraced his old friend one last time- one last gesture to commemorate their past.

“ _ Why _ did you do it Joey? I have to know…”

Taking a deep breath and sighing heavily, Joey gently placed his arms around Henry in return

“You want to know the truth? It’s incredibly simple, really- to the point it’s rather petty and absurd...”

“Please. I need to know”

“Alright. The truth is… I did it because I was ashamed. I loved you so much but let my greed for success blind me to the point I lost you… and nothing I did could bring you back. I was desperate- desperate to do  _ anything _ to go back and fix it so I could make it up to you. But… well, I ended up a shell living in another shell of my studio…  _ our _ studio.”

“Joey…”

“I know- It’s perhaps the most irrational and asinine thing I could have done, and it Isn’t exactly forgivable in any way! But you really did mean that much to me, to the point I wanted to keep the studio alive so  _ our _ dream could live too. But it failed… I failed you, then I failed myself, and everyone else. And It’s haunted me ever since.”

“Joey I’m… I’m sorry...”

Sighing softly, Joey gently hugged him tighter

“I’m the only one who should be sorry; but sorry won’t change what I did, nor what happened. It’s my sin to suffer and mine alone... I’m done pretending, at least whenever I can think again clearly. Just promise me one thing... Promise me you’ll move on? That you’ll be able to still follow your dreams, even without me?...”

Henry could barely speak as he gazed into Joey’s practically glowing blue eyes. Even without any souls giving him power, they still were bright as ever somehow. Despite everything, he’d still cherish their memories at least- when Joey had his soul.

“I…”

“Please?”

Swallowing, Henry nodded. Joey sighed then with what sounded like relief

“Good… thank you. At least one of us will get to live their dreams, and be free of this nightmare. Now hurry; go. Leave me here... and don’t come back. Without my soul there’s nothing left to save, nor bother keeping around; it won’t be long before I’m back to being cold and trying to stop you again.”

“Joey…”

“Goodbye, Henry.”

Feeling almost frozen, Henry barely managed to reply

“Goodbye Joey…”

Joey laid back with a heavy sigh now, gazing at Henry a moment longer before smiling warmly at him; a genuine smile. Henry could tell. Then, as Henry watched him, Joey closed his eyes for what he felt would be the last time. Already he felt the loss settling in his heart- a death he’d never even thought of until now.

Wiping his own eyes, Henry slowly stood while gazing down over his old friend; he was reluctant, but he had to leave. He almost hated how he could still hold an ounce of care for this man who had turned so vile and cruel on everyone, but perhaps somewhere somehow there was something left he could hold onto- something of the good Joey once had. 

Seeing him accept his fate made his heart ache… but Joey was right; he’d never be able to make up for what he’d done, and they didn’t have time to discuss it anymore. They had to leave it all behind. They had to leave for good.

Turning to the others and finally walking away from Joey once and for all, Henry couldn’t stop his tears as the group stared at him in silence. Sniffling and nodding to them, he moved closer

“Right… It’s time now. Let’s go home”


	63. The Other Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally. After so long, Henry and the others would finally see freedom- but before they can escape, he ends up facing hardships and tests of his resolve one last time. As two become one to guide him, Henry is reminded how hard it is to let go of the past- but it all becomes worth it when he finds his way to the other side...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: unreality, suffocation
> 
> Notes: that concludes this MASSIVE secondary update! There'll be two more after this, and again, fun surprises at the end including the extra-special last chapter and my art raffle over on twitter (you will be required to have an account for it; sorry)! Keep an eye out for these details next week on how to participate, and for the loads of fun to come with the end! Thank you again to everyone who has stayed with me through the course of my story- all of your support, comments, and love have kept me going for these past two years of writing and publishing it and I couldn't be more amazed and happy with its reception. See you all next week!

* * *

Joey had been telling the truth.

Henry and the others had managed to easily give parts of their souls to their toon counterparts as promised, and now they seemed to be full of vigor they hadn’t previously had; it made Henry hopeful.

All that was left now was to break open the machine’s heart, return Bendy and the Ink demon’s soul shard, then open the gateway out. Henry didn’t exactly know where the gateway would be, but he couldn’t ask Joey; in their rush to figure things out he’d disappeared from where he’d been laying on the platform. They’d have to simply figure it out on their own, the concern of his disappearance aside.

Looking up at the machine’s core, the Ink demon and Bendy both used their combined power to seal the pipes covering it in ink, revealing the bright shard inside once again which now lit the interior of the rounded room. It was rather dazzling to go from near pitch darkness to brightness again; it made Henry hold up an arm to shield his eyes.

“Alright guys… on three, we throw everything we can at the containment glass”

All around standing in a semi-circle formation, the group raised their various weapons of choice and took aim. Buzzing happily once more, even Bertrum was back in action as his tiny plane. Raising his own axe, Henry aimed it

“Ready? One…”

The group grew tense, the ground still shaking loudly

“Two…”

Everyone pulled their weapons back further, aside from the few readying their triggers

“Three!”

With near perfect unison, everyone threw their respective weapons and opened fire on the glass dome shielding the soul shard. The impacts from the axes, pipes, and other blunt weapons caused small cracks while the bullet fire began putting many more multiples in; the glass was still intact however.

Turning to Bendy and the Ink demon, Henry sighs and nods

“Your turn.”

Both nod back before looking to one another. Bendy smiles up at his taller counterpart

“Whaddya say, huh? Break some glass, kick some a-”

“ _ Please _ don’t finish that… but yes; I’m ready.”

Bendy snickered at his bad joke before the two of them rose, using ink to lift them up to the glass dome. Turning their hands into extended claws, they both dug into the already formed cracks to force them further. Within seconds, the room echoed with a resounding crack that was almost on par with a lightning strike. The shattering after the fact was like an even louder roll of thunder as deadly glass shrapnel began raining down towards them.

Quickly, Alice angel used her own power to redirect the glass away from them and off the platform into the ink instead. Henry nods to her with a smile

“Thanks Alice”

“Always!~”

Looking above once more, Henry watched the two demons approach the shard; now, they had to figure out how to combine themselves with it. As they held hands however, Henry felt they already knew what to do. Having once been one in the same it was likely second nature for them.

Slowly, the demons grasped the shard causing the room to grow unbearably bright before it winked out in a ball of swirling ink; Henry couldn’t tell what was going on, but he figured they were becoming one again.

Beside him, Norman turned his projector light brighter and aimed it up so they could see. On the remains of the Machine’s pillar platform, the ink ball slowly morphed into something odd… it looked like a strange in-between of the two demons. 

A mid-sized and half melted Bendy, so it seemed- yet one that looked genuinely happy. His right half (their left) was more ink demon looking with a slightly longer horn and melted face, no glove and no shoe. The other side meanwhile looked like classic Bendy but somewhat taller. The one neutral feature they shared was the elbow macaroni bowtie that was simply longer than usual.

As the new formed demon smiled down on them, the machine began to shake with a terrible screeching as it no longer had a source of power. Gradually, the ink was no longer producing while the machinery covering the walls ground to a halt. Screeching again as it was shutting down, the machine began to shake everything to It’s very core; dust and ink now rained down out of every crevice possible as the glowing dimensional cracks only pulsed brighter.

The resulting force had bowled everyone over besides Bertrum who was flying, and the Bendy/Ink demon fusion who somehow was floating just enough over the machine’s now empty core platform. Struggling, Henry was finding it near impossible to get up until a rush of ink lifted him gingerly away from the calamity. Blinking, he looked up to find the demon fusion had brought him up to itself.

Giving a pleasant smile, they spoke with a voice that was an interesting but charming and lilting combination of Bendy’s cheery cartoony voice and the Ink demon’s softer whispery one;

“Come with us”

Looking below at the others, Henry waved to them before calling out

“Stay safe while I’m gone- I’ll see you all on the other side!”

A chorus of cheers and happy calls cried out in return despite their struggles to stand; it filled Henry with a warm joy. Soon, he’d be able to make all their dreams come true and free them once and for all.

Floating upwards now, the demon fusion hovered just inches over the ink Henry was being carried on while bringing them through the pipe in the ceiling that lead towards Joey’s secret office. This time however, they floated past it down a different direction so fast Henry felt like they were practically flying.

The winding and twisting paths confused him but the demon fusion was easily navigating it like they knew it by heart- it only made sense considering. Before long, Henry could hear a loud pulsing combined with what sounded like the clanking of gears rotating in rhythm similar to the second hand ticking on a clock. 

Finally, they emerged into an interesting larger room that was round like a pipe and long as one too. A single wide conveyor hung through the center as giant round gears spun rhythmically around the entire room making Henry feel a bit dizzy. Perhaps the oddest part however was the end of it, which dropped directly downward like a bent pipe. He realized it was the spout of the machine, which was no longer producing ink thanks to them.

Setting Henry on the slick ink coated conveyor belt, the demon fusion glided over it to the end before turning to face Henry and speaking again

“This is where it ends. Once we open the gate, you can never come back here; you can only move forward. Are you ready?”

Standing a bit uneasily thanks to the machine’s loud rumbling, Henry nodded

“I’m ready.”

Nodding back, the fusion turned to the dark curved drop before holding out their hands. Glowing with a strange golden yet inky light mixture, they gasped loudly as the machine shuddered violently. Stumbling, Henry have to grasp onto the conveyor’s sides so as not to fall into the rotating gears below. 

The demon fusion’s soul shone so brightly in their chest now that Henry had to look away; he couldn’t see what was happening anymore, but more mechanical screeching echoed in the room amplified by It’s tunnel-like shape. Squeezing his eyes shut tightly, Henry waited for it to pass before daring to glance up again.

To his amazement it looked as if a large door in the shape of the tunnel appeared in front of the drop, the demon fusion using themselves to unlock it. Through the doors an equally blinding brightness began pouring in as the gears circling the room screeched once again, finally halting entirely. Slowly, the room became bathed in the golden glow coming from the drop downwards as the fusion collapsed to the conveyor now.

Carefully, Henry crawled towards them quickly before pulling them into a tight hug, closing his eyes just as tightly from the burning brightness ahead.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me… I promise to return the favor soon”

The demon fusion smiled at him weakly before responding

“Don’t take too long, okay? Last time we had to wait 30 years...”

Frowning, Henry shook his head

“I know- and I’m sorry… I’ll never let that happen again. We’ll be back together before you know it… promise”

Giving a small huff of amusement, the fusion shook its head a little

“See you soon Henry.”

“See you soon buddy…”

Feeling emotional all over again like earlier with Joey, Henry squeezed the two in his arms. After a returned hug, Henry released them finally, carefully standing the best he could as everything continued to become unstable.

As Henry began to step towards the light however, a distant sound caused him to freeze in place… it sounded like…   
  


...A child’s laughter?

With brilliant display of blue flashes, the dimensional cracks and rifting suddenly arced throughout the room like a shattered glass web. Staring up with surprise, awe, and fear, Henry watched the air break apart to the point everything seemed cut into separate pieces.

“No… No! W-We’re too close now- it can’t be too late! It can’t be!”

As Henry tried to find the demon fusion again, he couldn’t see them anywhere; all that remained was a small area around the golden opening and where he stood. The rest of the room was entirely filled with shattered pockets that didn’t seem to really be connected anymore; they were either other dimensions, or the same room but at different time periods.

The closest one connecting to his showed ink rushing over the conveyor belt that clearly wasn’t actually there anymore as it ceased to exist when it reached towards his piece. Looking around, he didn’t know what to do- was it too late? Could he still leave?

Then he heard it again… the laughter.

Turning now, he found that half of the way out had been blocked by a portal rift that looked shockingly familiar. Bright, warm sunshine bathing the greenest grass he’d ever seen… and a young girl he recognized all too well. His daughter.

Henry watched as she ran carelessly through the field of grass before falling and scraping her knee; immediately, she began to cry and Henry felt the urge to run to her side. He had to help her- comfort her. But just as he prepared to step into the rift, he paused again and frowned…

“It’s not real… this already happened- I remember...”

Staring, he watched with a heavy heart as his daughter’s tearful eyes met with his as if calling for his help. Maybe this was what Joey had meant by having a last resort to keep him from leaving… the dimensional rift playing mind games to try and keep him at bay. If he didn’t get through the gateway in time, it would close and they’d lose their only window of freedom permanently.

Breathing in deeply, Henry shakily held up a hand towards his daughter; he missed her so much… but it wasn’t truly her. He couldn’t throw everything they’d worked so hard on away just to relive a memory.

“I’m sorry I broke my promise…”

He could hear his own voice echoing with what he’d told her in the memory;

_ “Don’t cry… I’m right here. I’ll /always/ be here for you.” _

Squeezing his eyes shut tightly and lowering his arm, Henry reopened them and forcibly tore his gaze away to focus on the golden light leading out of the machine instead. All he had to do was move forward… let go, and move forward. He couldn’t let himself be distracted and pulled away now.

Taking a step, Henry cautiously began to bring himself to the exit. Next to him, he could hear his daughter still crying for him however; it made his heart ache terribly. He wanted more than anything to turn and run to her, but he had to keep going. He couldn’t stop now. It wasn’t real… it wasn’t truly her anymore.

Finally bringing himself to the very edge, he looked down into the pure light; wherever It’d take him now, he didn’t know- but he was sure It’d bring him forward.

“No more monsters… no more fear… no more machine.”

Glancing one more time to the memory of his daughter, he watched solemnly as it started to fade away

“I’m sorry… but I’m moving forward.”

Taking a deep breath then, Henry closed his eyes as he finally let himself fall forward, becoming engulfed by the blinding light.

-

Falling with an intensity that made his stomach flip much like the ink portals, Henry couldn’t see anything within as it was too bright for him to open his eyes. All around him the rush of air as he fell made him wonder how far the drop would go on for; what had been the spout of the machine certainly wasn’t what he was falling through now.

Feeling as if he’d been falling for several many minutes, he suddenly found the light starting to dim considerably. Blinking open his aching eyes, Henry realized he was rushing towards a darkness that looked a lot like… ink?

With a cold splash, he gasped and choked on a sudden flood of ink, struggling to try and reach the surface. Instead however he was sucked downwards with a force that felt as if it had begun draining violently. What had been blinding brightness now became suffocating darkness as he was pulled down with the ink.

Trying to hold his breath, Henry could feel himself careening against metal pipework with the flood of ink being forced through with him. Somehow, he was becoming more malleable with it to the point he was bending in ways a human would not have typically survived; had he  _ become _ ink?

The pipes were beginning to narrow, and Henry felt he was on the verge of falling unconscious being unable to breathe or move as he was contorted with the force of the ink. He could hear something however… something familiar in the near distance, steadily growing closer. It was the clanking of a metal machine he knew all too well- the ink machine. But how was that possible? They’d shut it off, and he’d finally left… right?

Trying to understand what was even happening, Henry suddenly was forced out of a bright opening from the pipes finally. Pouring out of a spout not entirely big enough for a normal person, Henry realized he had  _ indeed _ liquefied somehow as his body was pooling with extra ink into a puddle in the output tray of the ink machine.

Struggling, he soon to his relief was solidifying again; once he could, he gasped deeply, drawing in desperate breaths of air. Shakily, he looked up to find he was somewhere very familiar indeed... it was as if he’d hardly gone that far at all…

He was still inside the studio. Or, at least, some version of it; he couldn’t tell yet if he was still in the alternate dimension. Currently however, he and a bunch of ink had come pouring out of the second smaller original ink machine which was hanging and swinging precariously over the dark pit It’d initially risen from. Henry recognized it as the way down to the other, much larger ink machine; the last thing he wanted was to fall down to it. Already the ink coming out around Henry was overflowing and cascading into the seemingly endless depths below, but he wasn’t about to wash himself down with it.

Looking around a bit frantically, Henry realized that he was too far to reach solid flooring without falling… he’d have to improvise. Carefully, he stood and grasped onto the side of the machine and its chains before using the force of his body weight to start swinging it. Struggling to give it enough momentum, Henry watched it get fairly close to the platform, but he’d still have to jump.

Bracing himself, Henry gave one more good swing before throwing himself from the machine; flailing his arms, he shouted with fear. His upper half slammed into the floor on the other side, but his legs were still hanging over and he was quickly starting to slide off.

“No- no nO NO!-”

Before he could fall however, a pair of arms suddenly grasped his and pulled with surprising force. Kicking his legs and struggling, Henry gasped with relief once he was on solid ground again. Rolling to lay flat on his back, he took a moment to recover before a somewhat familiar voice spoke to him…

“Wowie! That was a real close one, huh? You sure are lucky I was ‘round ta help ya there! Didja just come outta that machine there??”

Blinking his eyes open now, Henry found a rather young looking man leaning over him, a bright smiling freckled face beaming down at him. His skin was dark and covered all over with more freckles as well as a curly and messy yet organized haircut partially covered by a paperboy hat. The same curly hair made a small scruffy beard patch on his chin that seemed to be shaved that way. Perhaps what was the most interesting thing however was he was in sepia tones just like Henry… yet his eyes were brown, and not like sepia, but actually  _ brown _ \- not to mention the rest of the room was bathed with sunlight coming from cracks in the warehouse ceiling that displayed a blue sky. Color… he  _ was  _ out of the machine. He’d… come  _ out of the machine. _

“Who… wh-who are you?”

The young man snorts before giving him a funny look

“Me?? I could ask ya the same, pally- but I’m Wally! Wally Franks!”

Sitting up quickly now, Henry stared at him in awe

“How did you… how did you get out??”

“Me? Same as you, really; I got spouted outta that machine over there, along with Shawn! We were alone and real confused ‘cause it was kinda unnatural, but we just kinda went with it. It hasn’t turned on fer  _ years _ since though _ - _ until now!”

Staring more, Henry was struggling to comprehend what he was learning… he’d never found the janitor nor toymaker in the machine… because they’d never  _ been  _ there to begin with? They’d somehow gotten out before  _ anyone  _ else?

“You mean… you escaped?”

“Escaped? Ya make it sound scary in there! Guess I don’t blame ya; It’s a pretty weird machine, spittin’ out magic ink an’ all that! I never thought I’d see it turn on again- we tried gettin’ it to fer years, like I said, but it just wouldn’t budge…”

Looking to the machine again, Henry blinked slowly 

“I… I don’t even know where to begin”

Wally laughed heartily then; the sound made Henry almost want to as well

“Well, how ‘bout with yer name? Also, yer the same as us, made a’ ink right? Do ya know anythin’ ‘bout that?”

“I- yeah… wait- you know you’re made of ink, but not how?”

“Well, yeah! My arms are only all black an’ shiny- figured that’s what happened. Also, I came outta an  _ ink machine _ ? duh! Only ink comes out! Therefore, I must also be ink!”

Henry felt dumbfounded by the logic that was both simple yet entirely accurate… Then, he remembered he hadn’t even introduced himself

“Oh- right. My name. I’m Henry… Henry Stein”

Wally’s eyes widened as he snapped his fingers

“OH! Yer that guy- that guy that helped co-create the studio! Wowie, what an honor! It’s nice ta finally meetcha! I remember Joey said you were a real sweet fella! Hmm, how long ago  _ was _ that?...”

Henry frowned then, remembering Joey’s goodbye…

“Yeah… Joey…”

Wally frowned too, looking a bit nervous

“Aw, jeeze… I heard there was some fallin’ out- that bad, huh?”

“I…”

The machine started to rattle loudly suddenly, causing both to turn and look at it; within moments it was forcing a flow of ink so heavy out of its spout it was overflowing its output platform like a waterfall. Quickly getting to his feet now, Henry felt a bit panicked

“The retractable platform- we have to shut the gap, quick!”

Wally looked bewildered at him then

“Huh?? That’ll flood the whole place!”

“I know- that’s what we need! Look, I’m not the only one coming out of the machine- we have to shut the platform, or they’ll all get dumped into the abyss!”

“Aw jeeze- I wasn’t expectin’ company!!”

Rushing to start pulling controls now, Wally was pulling levers, flipping switches, and hitting buttons with clear skill showing practice. Standing by him now, Henry anxiously watched as the metal platform around the machine started to close the drop downwards. Halfway however, the moving floor clanked loudly with a screech and stopped closing.

“What’s happening?? Why Isn’t it closing?”

Wally grimaced, turning to look at it

“Dang thing’s all jammed up! Must be from all the rust an’ old age; we gotta force it free somehow!”

Remembering the toy machine and paddle boat from way back, Henry glanced to Wally

“You got a pipe or some kind of blunt weapon I can use?”

“Huh?? I mean, I got a broom-”

“That’ll work.”

“Alright, if ya say so!”

Quickly, Wally handed him a large sweeping broom; without hesitation, Henry rushed forward onto the shaky stuck platform. Moving more carefully now, he began using the broom’s handle to slam the rusted panels and ink jams free. It was slowly moving a little at a time, but making progress nonetheless.

Finally, with a jerk that made Henry fall backwards onto it, the platform finished closing automatically on its own. As a result the ink pouring from the machine began to flood over it and wash around Henry towards Wally. Struggling up to his feet, Henry splashed over to Wally before turning to watch it with him. The janitor seemed rather unsure, but curious

“Gee, I dunno why we’re doin’ this, but I guess the old studio wasn’t in much usable condition anyways… I mostly liked to visit fer old memory’s sake an’ all to honor everyone who disappeared in the accident”

Giving a double take, Henry furrowed his brow

“Accident?...”

“Yeah! There was a big explosion that destroyed the whole studio; the ink machine’s pipes blew or somethin’, and it drowned everyone in the studio! It was a real tragedy… I dunno how, but I  _ think _ I was in it too?...”

Staring, Henry slowly gazed to the machine as it made sense to him now. How else could they all have been taken into the machine at the same time, besides a flood that washed them through Hell’s gates itself?

“That explains so much…”

“Yeah… they never found the bodies though, which was the weird part! Ever since, this place has been some kinda famous ghost tourist site. People came ta hear scary noises, whispers, and other stuff the place would make sometimes. Even I coulda swore I could hear a loud machine echoin’ in here now and again… craziest thing though, people kept seein’ ghost images of some creepy  _ smilin’  _ thing that’d linger in the dark before disappearin’ again. Weird, right?”

Watching the machine continue pumping out ink, Henry slowly shook his head

“No… not at all. This place actually  _ is _ haunted; you’re about to meet the things that were haunting it, too”

Wally’s face dropped with fear at that

“ _ WHAT?! _ I-I don’t wanna meet a buncha  _ monsters _ !”

“Relax- they’re not monsters. They were just mistreated and misunderstood. You’ll see…”

“Gee Henry, I think yer a nice guy an’ all, but I just metcha! I dunno if I entirely trust ya!”

“Just wait and see; I promise It’ll be okay”

Wally silently gazed at him with skepticism for a moment before sighing

“Aw, alright pally… guess we’ll see”

With a groan, the machine suddenly sounded like it was struggling before it forced particularly thick ink out of its spout. The more it poured out, the further the floor was being flooded with it until Henry could feel it up to his ankles. Wally kicked one foot pointlessly, shaking his head

“So when are we gonna see these ‘ghost’ friends of yours?”

All over the room then, Henry smiled as he saw the ink start to bubble

“Really, really soon.”

Wally watched with a nervous curiosity as next to him humanoid forms began to rise up and out of the ink. One of the first to fully form was growing taller still, and its head became an unusual shape; one that Henry soon recognized as a projector. With a burst, Norman stumbles forward with a loud shout that caused Wally to scream right back at him and grasp Henry for protection.

Gently holding Wally, Henry yelled loudly

“NORMAN- STOP SCREAMING! IT’S OKAY!”

With a cough that sounded surprisingly genuine, the projectionist shook his head- but there was something  _ odd _ about it… the projector wasn’t on, and it  _ rattled _ . His southern accented voice speaking up, Norman sounded rather cranky and confused

“God damn- can ya blame me?! Christ- That was the  _ worst _ experience of my  _ life _ , an I’ve been drowned alive in ink! It was like being squeezed out of a damn  _ toothpaste tube! _ Also what happened to the lights?? I can’t see!”

Slowly, Wally let go of Henry before taking a step towards the projectionist

“...Norman?? As in Norman  _ Polk? _ The projectionist?!”

Looking taken aback, Norman leaned towards Wally

“ _ Wally?? _ Is that you?”

“Holy smokes! It is you!”

With a clank, Norman quickly closed the gap between them to lift Wally into a big hug that made Henry smile. Struggling, the peppy janitor laughs and kicks his legs

“HEY- yer crushin’ me here! Also why’re you wearin’ that ol’ thing on your head anyways?? This some kind of new ‘ghost fashion’ or somethin’?”

Putting him down now, Norman chuckles before pausing

“Wearin’?... You mean-”

Taking hold of the projector, Norman shakily lifted it until a face poked out, ink stained and surprised- it was no longer  _ really _ his head. He had short, scruffy hair that was currently dampened down with ink and equally scruffy short cropped bear starting to grow out in places as if it hadn’t been cut properly. Jarringly though, his right eye (their left) had been replaced with an eye-patch looking projector lens with wires wrapping around his head like an eye patch, his skin inky around it. His other eye almost more surprisingly though was also in color like Wally’s- a warm, non-sepia brown. Thankfully, Henry realized as the ink dripped off him, he had clothing on as well as the bandana he’d been gifted by the butcher clones.

“Well I’ll be damned… I’m free. I’m FREE!”

Getting excited, he threw the old projector casing away along with the speaker that wasn’t attached to his chest anymore. Wally looked confused about it, but Norman just turned to him with a chuckle

“Sorry- I’m just glad to be  _ free _ of that damned thing- and to see you’re alright! We couldn’t find ya anywhere in the studio…”

“Huh?? But I’ve been stoppin’ by here for ages! I never saw any of ya guys!”

“...What?”

Henry sighs, shaking his head

“Long story.”

Wally snorts, looking Norman up and down

“No kiddin’! Yer head was a  _ projector? _ How did it feel??”

“Heavy.”

“Jeeze, talk about neck aches!”

“You don’t know the half of it, kid…”

Next to Norman then, another inky figure bursted free with a gasp; falling forwards, Sammy was suddenly caught by the projectionist before he hit the floor.

“Woah there- almost lost ya for a second”

Wheezing, Sammy clutched him tightly

“Never.  _ Never _ am I doing that again...”

Smiling brightly, Wally exclaimed;

“Sammy?! Oh man- I never thought I’d be  _ glad  _ ta see ya again!”

Blinking, Sammy stood upright staring at him

“You… you’re alive?! But made of- how?-”

Making a face then, Sammy scoffs

“Wait a second- why  _ wouldn’t _ you be glad to see me?! You little-”

Laughing, Wally yelped as the music director grabbed him

“AH NO- I’M SORRY, I’M SORRY, I DIDN’T MEAN IT-”

However, Sammy squeezed him into a hug just like Norman had instead

“I  _ missed  _ you, you annoying pest!”

Wally beamed before hugging him back

“Aw, shucks Sammy, if I didn’t know better I’d say you an’ I were friends!”

Scoffing again, Sammy sets him down before crossing his arms

“Absolutely  _ not… _ but… well, maybe I care a  _ little _ about you…”

Wally looked surprised to hear that, but Henry knew it was from their struggles inside the machine; Sammy had somewhat learned to express his feelings better. Somewhat. 

Turning then, Sammy paused to stare at Norman who was smiling quite eagerly at him before the music director ran back up to him and grasped his face

“Norman?! Y-your face- you  _ have _ one!”

Chuckling heartily, the projectionist gently pressed a kiss to Sammy’s forehead making Henry awkwardly rub his neck while Wally gawked with a big smile

“Guess bein’ free means bein’ me again too”

As the two embraced in joy at the little miracle, others were beginning to emerge from the ink. Many of them formed into people Henry didn’t recognize in the slightest, but it made him happy; it meant the studio’s employees who had been stuck as lost ones and searchers were people once more, albeit still made of ink. 

One in particular he didn’t quite recognize at first he soon realized was Jack Fain, purely from his bowler hat; Wally and the others were happily greeting him now, especially Sammy who gave the poor fellow a startling hug.

Henry waited for their group in particular though; some had come through, so it was only a matter of time before the rest did, right? The backlog from the sheer amount of people was just making it take longer- so he assumed. Sure enough however, he watched as both Susie and Lacie emerged along with Bertrum who shouted loudly

“YES! HAHA- TAKE THAT, JOEY DREW! I’M NOT A TOY PLANE ANYMORE!”

With a laugh, Lacie slapped him on the back so hard he fell back into the ink

“He ain’t here ta hear it, ya old coot!”

“ _ OLD? _ Madam, I am not  _ that _ old- I assure you!”

“Aw, cool it Bertie- I’m just messin’!”

Flustering now, Bertrum was lifted right back to his feet by her before dusting himself off. Henry couldn’t help but smile at them. It was interesting getting to see them as humanoid for the first time; Lacie was slightly taller than Bertrum who was also rather impressively tall, both wide built with heavier weight. Lacie however was muscular and strong looking while Bertrum looked softer and more round. Lacie’s hair was curly and cut in a styled bob that framed her face, her skin covered in light freckles while Bertrum had slicked back salt and pepper hair not unlike Henry’s, but with an iconic slicked pencil mustache. Once again, their eyes like the others had color- Lacie’s a slightly olive green hazel, and Bertrum’s a darker brown. It left Henry someone wondering what was causing it.

The two seemed pleasantly happy regardless, but Susie was turning in circles with a frown before she spotted Henry and approached him

“The butcher gang- have you seen any of them yet?? I haven’t been able to find them...”

Frowning, Henry shrugged

“I don’t know; so far It’s mostly random people coming through…”

With another burst of ink then, a piper that most certainly  _ wasn’t  _ Charley had made it through causing Wally to scream. With a cough however, the Piper looked at itself curiously before looking up at him and speaking with an amusingly deep voice

“What? Never seen a monkey man before?”

Staring for a moment, Wally immediately forgot his fear as he burst out with laughter from the sheer absurdity

“ _ Monkey man?!  _ Oh,  _ man! _ I’ve gotta show Shawn this!”

With that, many other butcher gang clones began popping up; but something was different about them. Instead of looking like distorted monsters, they’d all become much friendlier looking and cuter- more like their toon selves. Each however still had unique afflictions, and from the conversations Henry was catching from them, they couldn’t remember who they’d used to be anymore which was likely why they’d remained cartoon characters. 

Susie was eagerly watching and waiting, and soon it paid off; finally, the Barley they knew had come through, struggling to hold onto his sailor hat. Blinking with surprise he was lifted out of the ink into a hug from Susie

“Oh, Barley- thank goodness! Where’s the other two??”

Speaking softly, he shrugs at her

“I-I don’t know, they were with me a second ago…”

With another two bursts of ink, Charley and Edgar emerged shaking themselves off like a couple of dogs. Charley guffawed with laughter as Edgar groaned and held his head

“What a  _ horrid _ experience! Miss angel, I am truly honest when I say this with the utmost respect; your live surgery was far more pleasant than  _ that! _ ”

Susie smiled, laughing rather loudly to Henry’s surprised delight

“Aww Eddie… I’m just glad you’re here now~”

“Miss,  _ please _ ”

“I know, I know; only your  _ boyfriend _ can use your nicknames…”

“M-MY-?! I DO NOT HAVE-”

“I’m just  _ teasing _ Edgar; calm down!”

Charley laughs at him again before loudly and happily exclaiming,

“EDGAR JUST TELL HIM ALREADY!”

Rubbing his ear closest to Charley, Edgar was grimacing

“I will when the time is  _ right- _ not when some loudmouth monkey  _ tells me to. _ ”

Laughing again, Charley grasps him into a hug before Susie hugs all three of them happily. Henry was glad to see them reunited, but he was still nervously looking out for the others still; he wanted to make sure they’d  _ all _ made it out.

Thankfully, he soon recognized Allison coming through- but she looked slightly different. Her hair was slightly wavier and poofier than before, and her ponytail was lower over her shoulder. Her eyes were also a steel gray-blue that looked much brighter compared to her black ink and sepia colored body. 

Shaking herself off, she puffed her cheeks before smiling at Henry brightly, approaching him

“You did it- you set us free! I  _ knew  _ you were the hope we’d been needing all this time…”

Smiling back, Henry rubbed the back of his neck 

“I appreciate the sentiment, but it wasn’t just me; you guys helped a  _ lot _ . I’m just happy I did what I could…”

From directly behind her then, a rather large and intimidating masculine figure was beginning to form; it made Henry a bit nervous. That is, until he saw a curious pair of what looked like Boris ears on its head…

With a burst of ink, he quickly recognized the man was Tom from the mechanical arm and Boris ears he was still sporting on his now human head. He was dark skinned with bright light-gold eyes, a short military cut for his hair which was graying, and a prominent mole on the right side of his large slightly crooked nose. The rest of him had spatterings of dark random freckles, and scars to match his utility work suit; one in particular was through his right eyebrow. 

Rubbing at his scruffy short beard, he seemed glad to be himself again; but he likely hadn’t noticed the ears yet. To Henry’s additional amusement, Tom’s now golden irises had a small pie-cut to them while his cheeks had circular dark prints and three dots on each side of his nose like Boris. 

Yanking off his speech collar, Tom cleared his throat deeply before sighing with relief and smiling at Allison who looked positively delighted to see him

“Well… this is  _ much _ better than bein’ a cartoon dog. I love Boris, but I never really aspired to  _ be _ him.”

Chuckling, allison gives him a sympathetic smile

“Maybe not… but he’s still imprinted on you”

“Yeah, like that whole ‘connection’ thing having been him for a while…”

“No, Tom- I mean you have  _ ears still _ ”

“Wh-?”

Reaching over his head now, Tom made a face as he felt the dog ears

“Oh fer cryin’ out loud…”

Allison burst into laughter before hugging him tightly then

“I think it’s  _ cute _ .”

“I think It’s  _ ridiculous _ . Nobody’ll take me seriously.”

Henry chuckles too now, shaking his head

“I don’t know, you’re still pretty intimidating with your size…”

Tom grunted appreciatively at that before spotting Wally

“Franks…”

Allison blinked before smiling warmly

“Why don’t you go say hi to him? I bet he’d love to see you again…”

Nodding without speaking, Tom approached Wally. Allison sighed, crossing her arms with a smile while watching them as she spoke to Henry now

“He always had a soft spot for Wally… he’s like a younger brother to him. It’s sweet”

Henry smiled at that as well, watching Wally exclaim his joy as Tom hugged him

“They seemed pretty close in the notes and recordings… I’m happy to see them reunited”

“Speaking of reunion… where’s Bendy and the other toons?”

Blinking, Henry frowned now looking around for them

“I… I don’t know. The butcher gang came through, right? And we gave them our soul pieces- they should make it out, right?”

Frowning, Allison shrugs at him

“I don’t know either. I’m sure It’s just taking some time; they’ll be here before long…”

As more time passed however, Henry wasn’t seeing any sign of the toons or the Ink demon. Deep down, he was beginning to get a feeling something was wrong… it was as if he could almost hear Bendy trying to call for his help. Approaching the gathering of their group around Wally, Henry expressed his worry;

“They should’ve been here by now. I think something’s wrong...”

Stepping towards him, Edgar looked worried

“Wrong?? Like what?”

“I don’t know; part of me just feels like something’s not right. Like something’s keeping them from passing through…”

Susie gave him a look of confusion

“But we gave them the soul pieces, didn’t we?? Shouldn’t that have been enough?”

It was Wally’s turn to look confused now

“Soul bits? Well, I dunno nothin’ ‘bout  _ souls _ , but maybe yer forgettin’ some other important part ‘a your ceremony! Like that whole thing Joey had to keep the machine ‘runnin properly’ or somethin’. I couldn’t use my best wrench thanks to ‘appeasin’ the gods’ fer the longest time...”

Grasping Wally by his shoulders then, Henry exclaimed

“That’s it- the alters! Without the items placed correctly, the machine’s magic gets messed up- I always had to set them back everytime in the loops... Wally, do you know if the items are still here?”

Wally frowns, shaking his head

“I don’t think so; most everythin’ was either taken as police evidence or stolen by people sneakin’ inta the studio as souveniers. I’m pretty sure that stuff’s long gone”

Feeling disappointed and worried, Henry let go of him

“Is there anything we can use to replace them? It has to be just long enough for them to get through”

Allison gently places a hand on Henry’s shoulder 

“We can try. Do you know where the room is?”

“Yeah, but…” 

Turning, Henry gazed down the darkened studio halls; they didn’t have light anymore, and it made him uneasy. Catching on, Norman stepped forward aiming his new still flickering eye-patch-esque eye down the hall

“I can help lead the way.”

Tom grunts, rolling his shoulders

“And I can help move any broken debris”

Lacie smiles, adding

“Same here; ya got muscle with us”

Sammy sighs, but shrugs to him

“And the rest of us will follow you wherever you go, apparently…”

Charley snickers at that before starting to waddle forward

“Then what’re we waitin’ for?? Let’s help reunite Ed with his boyfrie-”

“ _ Finish that sentence and I shall send you back into the machine. _ ”

“-Eeeendly pal!”

Henry smiled a little at their interaction, but he was still worried; hopefully, they wouldn’t run out of time before the rest of them made it through. Not wanting to wait any longer, he took a breath before moving forward with Norman’s light to see. 

Slowly, they waded through the ink that had flooded over the entire first floor by now which was only rising higher. It nervously reminded Henry of each time he’d turned on the machine only for the Ink demon to chase him soon after.

“Alright… back in the studio just one more time… let’s see if I can still remember where to go”


	64. Picking Up the Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rushing to find out why the toons are missing, Henry and the others make their way to perform a certain ritual one last time to complete the cycle. Upon greeting their friends again, the Ink demon is found to be missing so Henry and Tom go looking for him- after everything that's happened, Henry Isn't about to leave anyone out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none
> 
> Notes: Happy third to last update everyone! There's two drawings just for chapter 66 this time- also, turns out the final secret chapter is going to be longer than initially planned so it'll be posted all on its own, but I'm announcing it as well as an art giveaway now! First things first: The final chapter is an extra special CANON crossover of my AU with my good friend Corruptimles (Found at @corruptimles on twitter and maulan-reverie on tumblr!)- it'll feature their AU Team Silly Vision crossing with this one, diving into a whole new mini-plot for my fic while twisting mine into theirs! It's going to be a lot of fun for us and hopefully you all as well :D!
> 
> As for the art giveaway, I wanted to do something special for the end of my fic so on my twitter @RobBBlunder I'll be posting a giveaway specifically Bendy-themed for those who read my fic or followed it in some way! You must have a twitter to enter, but otherwise there are no other restrictions! Keep an eye out for that post- I'll be sharing it with next week's update once it's live! The prizes will be as following: 1st place gets a full body drawing with color, 2nd will get a half body drawing, 3rd will get a toon-mini of a character of choice (so long as it's bendy related)! I look forward to seeing you all there!

* * *

To Henry’s relief, there weren’t any incidents with falling boards, cutouts, or other scares this time; it was simply dark, broken down, and dreary. 

While picking their way through to the pedestal room, Henry paused upon finding that the ceiling had collapsed before the doorway effectively blocking them out. Sighing, he turned to the others

“Alright; Tom, Lacie, I need your help…”

Both of them stepped forward as Norman kept his light on them- it was rather useful that he still had it. Though they were strong, the sheer amount of debris was proving difficult so the others soon started to join in with them. Sammy, however, was staying by Norman with his arms crossed. Snorting, Norman briefly glanced to him and questioned;

“You’re not gonna help?”

“Norman, do you remember the giant glass ink jar? The one that made me so tired I vowed to never lift heavy things again because I’m a  _ musician _ and not a heavy lifter? Well, see, this is heavy lifting, so  _ no _ I’m not going to do it; It’s not in my range of things I do!”

Norman snorts again with a small laugh before pulling Sammy into a sidearmed hug

“Yer such a priss, y’know that?”

Sammy looked ready to debate him, but Wally chimed in while tossing fallen bricks away

“Always has been, always will be”

“WALLY!”

“Hey, don’t get mad at me; he said it first!!”

“Yeah, well, that’s  _ different _ ; he’s my  _ boyfriend _ .”

Wally paused for a moment before beaming at them with surprise

“He is?! Well, It’s about time! Man- I only had ta watch the tension between ya two build fer so long without either of ya sayin’ or doin’ anythin’ about it, then vanished without knowin’ if ya ever would! What a relief…”

Both of them seemed rather embarrassed by that, becoming even more so when Susie chimes in too

“He’s right, you know. It really  _ was _ unbearable.”

Tom sighs, pulling a rather heavy wooden beam away

“Less banter, more movin’ stuff.”

Allison gives him a look before he sighs and adds on,

“Please.”

Allison smiles then as they focused on the task at hand, soon making a hole just big enough for them to squeeze through now. Carefully, Henry was the first to make his way into the room; it was much more eerie without the lights, and the atmosphere was unwelcoming. 

“Okay… let’s figure this out quickly, get them out of the machine, then get out and  _ never _ come back; something about this place just feels… wrong.”

Wally shivers, having come up next to him

“Yer tellin’ me! I only ever take short visits usually before headin’ home- spendin’ this long in here is givin’ me the creeps...”

As Norman and the others made their way into the room, Sammy questions him

“Home? You live somewhere outside the studio- looking like  _ that?? _ ”

“Huh? Oh- the ink an’ sepia… yeaaah, people just think I’m dressed up funny usually, even when I wear normal stuff with color! They don’t question it much though. An’ yeah, home; me an’ Shawn have a nice little house a ways away from here! Figured we should stick together ‘cause ‘a what happened here”

Shaking his head, Sammy gives him a funny look

“You and the toyman living domestically in the normal world?... Why does that somehow not surprise me?”

“Aw, hey; Shawn’s great! He’s real popular an’ well off with the neat toys he makes an’ invents fer all ages now! Also, he’s a real sweet guy; always treated me nice”

Henry sighs, turning to them

“Wally, I’ll admit I’m curious as anyone else about what’s been going on while we were gone, but we need to focus here. Do you still have your wrench?”

Blinking, Wally rubs his chin for a moment

“Maybe somewhere… but it ain’t here!”

Before Henry can feel too disappointed, Allison produced one from her tool belt

“Here; I have one here”

“Thank goodness- put it on the pedestal with the wrench picture, please”

She nods and does so while they begin looking at the other necessary objects.

Standing in front of the music note, Sammy sighs before pulling the small glittering gold music note pin from his suspenders, looking to Henry

“You said this’ll be temporary, right?”

“Yes; once the others are through, we can come back for it.”

“Alright- but you  _ better _ not make me lose this! It’s… It’s special.”

Norman gives a small huff of amusement at him

“Didn’t think It’d mean that much to you…”

“Oh, hush; you know why”

Looking towards the spot for the ink jar, Henry furrowed his brow before pulling out his personal special ink jar; he was sure he’d lost it… how had it gotten back to him? Either way, it was empty, but still an ink jar- surely it would still work?

Before he can finally place it on the stand however, Henry paused to look at his reflection in the glass from Norman’s dim lighting… there was… something on his head. Reaching up, Henry nervously felt over what appeared to be the same nub-like white horns Sammy had… when had these appeared?? Had they shown up after he’d escaped the machine, and why had nobody mentioned them? Perhaps it was a marking of sorts from where they came from… yet most of the others didn’t have them. That was curious...

Finally placing the ink jar on the stand figuring he’d look into that later, he felt pleased before turning to look at the other empty spaces

Gesturing at the gear, Susie gives Henry a look

“Where are we going to find a  _ gear _ exactly?...”

“Not sure… I’d say borrow one from the machine, but it kind of needs those…”

Charley hops up and down in the shallow layer of ink, splashing them as he calls out

“Oh, oh- I know! Barles has one I bet, right Barles??”

“I-I might…”

Sure enough, the fisher held out a gear to Susie who smiled and gladly placed it on the stand

“Thank you, Barley…”

The fisher smiled shyly as Charley beamed at him; Edgar however was focused on the book’s stand

“Do we still have that copy of Mister Drew’s book with the handwritten notes in it?...”

Sammy comes to attention at that;

“Oh- yes, by some odds, we  _ do _ . You know, It’s strange… I was sure I’d lost it, but I suppose I found it and might’ve forgotten?...”

As Sammy pulls out the book from his vest and places it down, Henry frowned and gazed at it solemnly for a couple reasons, the first being  _ why _ did they have items they’d lost back suddenly like magic? That aside, he was conflicted still- most of him was glad Joey was finally gone, that the man who’d caused so much pain and suffering could never do so again. But despite it, deep down, a small part of him still wished he’d been able to at least leave the machine with them… see daylight one last time maybe before facing eternal punishment.

Having noticed, Sammy gently calls out to him

“Henry?...”

“Hm?”

“Are you alright?”

“Huh? Oh- yeah… just thinking. I’m fine”

Sammy seemed unsure, but Henry quickly turned away to the final pedestal so as not to have to talk about it. The last thing they needed was a plushie…

“A plush bendy…”

Wally sighs, shaking his head

“The one time Shawn coulda really helped bein’ here…”

Before he could wonder too hard about where they’d ever find a plushie that wasn’t even in production anymore, Henry blinked and looked to the belt clipped around his waist

“Oh- Actually…”

On the side of it, he took hold of the small plush he’d tied onto it a while back; it was the Bendy with a halo sewn haphazardly onto its head that Allison had gifted him. Smiling at it now, he gently placed it on the stand

“Looks like you were lucky after all…”

Allison smiled at him before the room shuddered slightly, making all of them a bit nervous. With rhythmic clicks, lights somehow came on in pairs over the pedestals illuminating the room. Wally looked amazed as he exclaimed;

“Wow- that shouldn’t even be possible! This place hasn’t had power in  _ years! _ I guess ta be fair, the machine shouldn’t be workin’ by that logic either…”

Henry shakes his head, turning towards the way out now

“It’s all running on the same thing I’m sure; magic.”

Following after him, Wally shrugs

“Makes sense ta me! Joey always did say cartoons were like magic, an’ with how hard it is ta make ‘em, I’d say he was  _ right _ ”

Carefully, Henry picked his way back over the debris through the hole they’d made in it pondering how easily Wally accepted these things. Perhaps they all could’ve benefitted from that mindset- but that was something to think about later.

“We should hurry; I want to make sure they can make it through now”

Lacie calls out however, stopping him for a moment

“Do we all gotta follow after you? Some of us can stay here an’ watch over the valuables bein’ left here. It’d be a real shame if some sneak came an’ snatched ‘em while we weren’t lookin’”

Blinking, Henry glanced to Sammy who looked antsy about his pin; Henry had to admit that he also didn’t want to lose his ink jar or plush either, considering what he’d been through with them.

“That might actually be a good idea… who’s okay with staying, and who wants to see the others come through?”

Lacie crossed her arms, grinning

“I technically volunteered, so I can stay here.”

With a huff, Bertrum approached them from the other side of the debris-hole looking disheveled

“Run off without me again- see what happens!”

Henry gives him a sympathetic half smile, half grimace

“Oh- Sorry Bertrum…”

“Nevertheless, Mister Stein; I shall wait here with Lacie while you chase after your creations.”

“Er… right; thanks Bertrum. Anyone else?”

Norman shrugs, looking to Sammy

“You wanna stay here? I have to go with ‘em ‘cause I’m their light an’ all…”

Sammy furrowed his brow, looking to Lacie and Bertrum for a moment before turning back to the others

“You know what? Why don’t we all go, and give these two some private time…”

Funny enough, neither Bertrum nor Lacie had heard them as they were too busy talking. Smiling, Henry sighed; he found it sweet to see others caring for one another, and possibly even falling in love or making deeper connections. Though, in some ways, it made him feel a bit bittersweet.

“Alright… everyone else, let’s hurry back”

Quickly now, they began to make their way back to the machine which wasn’t hard to find with how loud it was. Emerging back into the sunlit room, Henry squinted a bit before blinking and smiling; Alice angel and Boris had already made it through, and looked happy to see them. Hurrying over to them, Henry hugged them tightly

“You made it! Thank goodness…”

Boris happily licked the side of his face as Alice giggled

“We did, thanks to you! We were stuck by some weird magic field- Bendy said you had to do something to get rid of it for us though, and you did!”

Letting go of them, Henry gives her a questioning look

“Speaking of… where  _ is _ Bendy?”

“HENRYYYYY!”

Flinching, Henry turned only to get knocked backwards into the ink from the little demon launching off of a ledge he’d climbed onto. Grunting, Henry laughed before grabbing Bendy into a tight hug

“You little rascal- c’mere!”

Bendy laughs happily as well before squeezing back tight as he could

“Ya did it!! Ya really did it- we’re outta the machine!! Didja get my message I tried sendin’ through yer soul bit ya gave me??”

“Message?...”

“Yeah- about unblockin’ the exit fer us!”

“Oh. I... suppose so? I thought it was just lucky intuition, but I think it makes more sense that you told me what to do…”

From the outside however, Henry figured lucky intuition would make much more sense to anyone else than soul telepathy… 

The thought faltered however as a golden glow briefly dazzled his eyes from over his head in a flash. Blinking in confusion, Henry looked around a bit before looking to Bendy who seemed slightly awe-struck. Furrowing his brow, he dared to question…

“What… what was that? Why’re you looking at me like that?”

Looking around, Henry realized  _ everyone _ was staring at him a bit. Smiling at him wide, Bendy gives a small huff of disbelief before tapping something over Henry’s head- something he  _ felt _ .

“Henry! Ya got some kinda halo floatin’ over yer head!!”

“I  _ What?! _ ”

Trying to look up at it, Henry briefly caught a glimpse of a white ring softly glowing over his head before it floated away to follow it. Reaching up now, he grabbed it to pull it into view briefly before furrowing his brow further and letting it go causing it to rubber band slightly before settling back into place. Laughing, Bendy gives him a look of amusement

“Guess ya musta kept your promise to save everyone from the machine and got somethin’ ta show fer it, huh?”

“How am I supposed to sleep with something like this both floating  _ glowing _ over my head?...”

Nearby, Alice angel chuckles answering for him

“It’s simple, really; It’ll float out of the way when you lean against something and you can probably dim it like me!”

Henry seemed unsure about it, but Bendy chuckled at him before continuing;

“What a funny little miracle, huh? Not only that, but I ain’t  _ meltin’ _ either- It’s a whole buncha miracles!”

“Well, I wouldn’t be too confident just yet- we haven’t tried turning off the machine…”

“Hmm… good point. But, we’re still at least out of it finally, right??”

“We sure are bud”

Sitting up now, Henry held the smiling demon before Edgar came rushing over looking relieved

“Bendy! You’re alright!”

“Ed!!”

Hopping free of Henry’s arms, the demon happily embraced with the striker as the other butcher gang members approached him. Sighing heavily, Edgar squeezed him tighter

“You have no idea how glad I am to be free of that nightmare, and see you safe with us…”

“Heh, I think I can get an idea with how  _ tight _ yer crushin’ me…”

“Oh- my apologies”

Letting go now, the two smiled happily at one another before Charley slowly leaned in over Edgar’s shoulder, waggling his brows. Equally as slow, Edgar’s expression fell into grumpiness all over again before he shoved Charley away by his face

“Not right now.”

“Oh, c’mon Ed!! Now’s the  _ perfect _ time!”

Bendy makes a face of confusion

“Perfect time fer  _ what?... _ ”

Before anything else could be said however, Wally exclaimed loudly drawing their attention away

“HOLY CARTOONS! REAL LIVE CARTOONS??”

Rushing up to Boris now, Wally was positively beaming as the nervous wolf looked to Henry as if asking what he should do. Henry simply shrugged at him with a smile however while Wally shouted again

“Yer Boris- like, real life Boris!! Oh man, you were always my favorite! This is blowin’ my mind!”

Boris smiles at him, waving a little then; waving back, Wally laughs a bit before looking to Bendy

“Man… how wild, huh?? After all these years, Bendy an’ the crew are walkin’ an’ talkin’ just like the rest of us!”

Bendy snickers before waltzing over and posing

“Not only that, but lookin’ better than all of ya too~”

Henry rolls his eyes getting up off the floor now, but Wally laughed making Bendy beam more. Looking curious then, Wally rubs his chin

“Huh… y’know, It’s kinda funny; I never expected ya ta have a  _ voice _ . Alice angel had voice actin’, but I don’t remember you  _ or _ Boris ever havin’ any!”

Susie suddenly exclaimed herself then

“Hey, I was wondering about that too! Remember, Henry?? I mentioned it when we were walking at some point!”

“Now that you mention it, yeah; you told me Bendy never really had a voice actor…”

Watching Wally and Bendy interact now, Henry squinted a bit as Bendy started mimicking Wally’s posture and actions like a mirror. Slowly, he was starting to wonder…

“Hey uh… Wally?”

“Hm? Yeah Henry?”

“Did you ever try voice acting before while working in the studio at some point?...”

“Me?? A voice actor? No way- Joey would never let me! But, uh… wellll, I guess  _ sometimes _ I’d do funny voices while cleanin’ up the place. Sometimes, I felt like I had a private audience like the machine was listenin’ ta me itself- but it was never much. Just somethin’ ta pass time while I was alone!”

Bendy slowly was starting to get a rather cheeky expression that made Henry give him a look

“...Bendy? What’re you hiding now?...”

“Me? Hidin’ somethin’?? What makes ya say that?”

“Oh, I don’t know… the fact you have a grin wider than usual, which is saying something”

Snorting, Bendy bursts out laughing for a moment before sighing

“Alright, alright; ya got me! I copied his voice!”

Wally blinks then, giving him a look

“Huh?? Ya did??”

“Yeah! Back when I was still part ‘a the Ink demon, we’d listen to ya makin’ voices an’ I liked one of the ones ya did! Soooo, I took it!”

Walking over looking drained, Sammy dragged a hand down his face

“That explains...  _ SO  _ much! Including why you  _ always  _ irritated me so easily.”

Bendy bursts out laughing again while Wally was positively beaming

“Wowie! I gave someone a voice! How neat is that??”

Henry sighs, shaking his head and smiling. Susie snorts herself, grinning at Sammy

“He’s right that it makes a lot of sense… only  _ Wally _ could be cheery and cheeky enough to voice a little devil”

Wally mock-scoffs, faking offense

“What, me?? A devil? I’m a perfect angel, I swear!”

Both he and Bendy laughed at that, and Henry had to admit one thing… the impression was scarily close to the many instances Bendy had said the same to him. Sammy made another face before speaking again;

“I’m thinking we should keep these two separate for our sanity, if not at least  _ mine _ ”

However, While the others were enjoying their amusement and the company of the toons being back, Tom stepped forward with concern

“Henry… where’s the Ink demon?”

Blinking, Henry looked around feeling unsure

“I… I don’t know. He should be here… shouldn’t he?”

Bendy chimed in then, frowning

“He  _ should _ be! He came right through with the rest of us- there’s no reason he  _ shouldn’t _ be…”

Alice angel turns to them, looking worried

“Maybe he’s gone and hid? He seemed pretty shy...”

Slowly looking around the room, Henry turned to the hallway leading out of it before spotting smeared inky handprints on the walls that definitely hadn’t been there before.

“...actually, I think you’re right.”

Facing the others now, he frowns

“I want you guys to stay here; I’m going to go find him”

Bendy scoffs before jumping onto Henry’s back, making him stumble a bit

“Like  _ Hell _ am I lettin’ ya go alone! I’m comin’ with ya!”

Tom grunts, stepping towards him too

“So am I. He’s my responsibility too… I want to make sure he’s alright.”

Henry had some concerns, but nods

“Alright… but everyone else should stay; if he  _ is  _ hiding from us, too many people might scare him away further”

The others seemed unsure, especially Edgar and Allison who were looking at Bendy and Tom respectively. Henry gives both of them reassuring looks however;

“It’ll be fine. We’ll be back before you know it”

Wally huffs, shrugging 

“Plus It’s not like you can die, or anythin’- bein’ made ‘a ink means no agin’, no broken’ bones, and only mild pain from injury! Usually. But trust me; ya can’t die when yer like this as far as I know!”

Henry slowly raises an eyebrow with concern at that

“You uh… sound like you speak from experience there.”

Slowly, Wally grimaces 

“Let’s just say things can be dangerous sometimes, an’ ya  _ definitely _ shouldn’t try balancin’ on a metal ladder while tryin’ ta fix some wirin’ in a storm.”

From the various looks on the others faces, Henry could tell they all were thinking the same thing about Wally endangering himself. Personally, Henry was curious exactly  _ what _ injury he’d sustained that could’ve been fatal otherwise, but they had other things to be worrying about.

“I’ll uh… take your word for it. Like I said, though; we’ll be back”

Allison sighs, giving Tom a quick peck on the cheek

“Make sure he’s okay, alright?”

“I will. I ain’t comin’ back without him.”

She smiles to him with a knowing look

“I don’t doubt that.”

Bendy waves to Edgar then with a wink

“Hey, ya know me Ed; used ta dealin’ with my other half. We’ll be fine!”

It was Edgar’s turn to sigh as he shook his head

“Usually when you say that bad things happen…”

Charley snickers at that, but Bendy simply sticks out his tongue. Shaking his head with slight amusement, Henry starts heading for the dark hallway when Norman calls out

“Hey, don’tcha need me for light or somethin’?...”

“Not this time. I’m pretty sure It’d only drive the Ink demon away because he uses the cover of darkness to hide. Not only that, but he’d see us coming… we’ll just have to be careful”

“Alright, if ya say so… don’t get lost or hurt now; we  _ just _ got outta the machine, after all”

“Can do.”

With that, Henry finally started heading down the hallway followed by Tom with Bendy leaning over his shoulder from his back. Keeping one hand on the wall, Henry started trying to follow the inky handprints but it was difficult to see, and soon, they were in pitch darkness. Sighing, he paused causing Tom to slow down to a stop next to him

“It’s too dark… we need to follow the hand trails on the wall, but I can’t see anything.”

Bendy snickers, leaning heavily on his shoulder

“Good thing I can see in the dark then, huh? Also, I can track him from the ink if ya need me to”

“We’ll resort to that if we have to but I don’t want to risk alerting him just yet. Which way?...”

“Right now? Keep headin’ forward, but keep left; there’s a big ol’ desk knocked over on the right side.”

Hearing a small bump sound, Tom grunts

“Couldn’t have said that sooner?...”

Bendy snickers again

“Where’s the fun in that?”

Henry sighs quietly

“Bendy-”

“I know, I know; I’ll be serious now. Ironic y’know… a toon bein’  _ serious _ ...”

Henry rolled his eyes, but the gesture was pointless in the dark whether Bendy saw it or not. Thankfully with Bendy’s guidance, they continued on through the dark until they reached a hall that had an ominous flickering light at the end of it. Distantly, Henry could hear what sounded like a projector playing a film reel; they were near the showroom he’d turned the pipe valve in many times before making it flood.

Cautiously moving closer while trying to stay quiet, Henry turned to Tom and used sign language to avoid making further noise

‘I’m going to peek. Don’t move’

Tom however looked lost in the dim ominous light; Henry had forgotten he’d never learned it. Quietly sighing, Henry makes a ‘wait’ gesture instead to which Tom responds with a nod. 

Turning again, Henry very slowly peered around the corner into the show room. Just like inside the machine’s loop, there was a projector sitting on a small table that had two reels instead of one this time, playing its projections on the opposite wall. To Henry’s surprise and confusion, it looked like the very events of what they’d experienced in the machine were playing on the wall.

Currently it was showing when Henry was meeting Sammy with Bendy for the first time, trying to get him onto their side after their initial conflict. When they started talking about magic from Joey’s book however, the image sped up with a click before slowing down at a later part; they had met Boris and were fleeing the Ink demon. Frowning, Henry realized that there was a dark ominous shape sitting beside the projector on the floor, repeatedly speeding up and slowing down the film.

Unmistakably he could see a pair of long inky horns in the dim light; pulling back from the corner now, Henry nodded to Tom who looked past him with a furrowed brow. Henry frowned, wondering what the best approach would be; would the Ink demon flee if they surprised him? Whatever plan they might’ve been able to come up with however wouldn’t happen as Tom simply marched past him into the room. Grimacing, Henry hurried after him causing Bendy to cling to him.

Facing the Ink demon and projector now, Tom spoke

“Hey… what’re you doing? Why’d you run off like that? You had us all worried”

Silently, the Ink demon continued to fast forward and play the reel, not speaking. Tom sighed, moving closer

“Look… I just want to make sure you’re alright, okay? Are you alright?...”

Speeding the reel again, the Ink demon let it play once more; now, it was showing him attacking everyone in the ink abyss. Finally, he spoke quietly in that familiar whispery-esque voice

“I don’t know… things are… strange.”

Continuing to speed and play the reel, Tom silently gazed at the wall before looking to him again

“Haven’t they always been though?”

Henry couldn’t quite see the demon’s face, but he could see a bit of a frown

“For one thing, everything that’s happened to us is on this reel… I found it laying on the floor in the ink. It looked like It’d fallen off the projector…”

Henry blinked at that, remembering the strange distinct noise of a projector he’d kept hearing the closer they’d gotten to escaping. Had this been what he’d been hearing the entire time?...

Tom turned to watch again, frowning as the scene playing now was when the Ink demon had deceived them pretending to be Bendy, then attacked. Sighing, he rubbed the back of his neck

“I’ll admit, that’s pretty weird- even for what we went through… but maybe it was just some ‘magic reel’ that recorded us or somethin’, like a record keeper?...”

“Maybe…”

The Ink demon still stayed put, messing with the reel. Soon, he’d wound it right to the end which showed Henry’s confliction with his daughter at the exit. Feeling a little awkward watching it from the outside, he glanced to Bendy over his shoulder who was frowning. The second Henry fell through the exit in the projection however, the reel suddenly flickered out and showed something very familiar…

‘The End’ was flickering on the wall, steadily and surely- but this time there was a question mark after it. Slowly rising now, the Ink demon kept his gaze trained on the screen, unmoving. Tom Stepped even closer to the demon, speaking again

“You don’t have to hide anymore, y’know? You can be free to show yourself ‘round the public now; leave the studio and make a new life.”

“Can I, though?... All this time I dreamed of leaving, but now that I can, I… just… Well- look at me! I look like the very nightmare I was spawned from! You and I  _ both _ know how the public would react if they saw me...”

“Hey, they haven’t even met you yet; you don’t know that for sure”

Turning fully now, the demon frowns at him

“But don’t I?? Don’t you remember? The very first moment I came out of the machine… all of the Gent employees wanted to kill me the instant I’d been made! The public would never accept me, and you know it-”

Tom sighs heavily before pulling the Ink demon into a tight hug, their silhouettes blocking the ‘The End?’ screen 

“Maybe, maybe not; but who knows? Even if they do get scared of ya, they’ll just have to learn to live with it; It’s just how ya look, not who you  _ are _ inside. Sure, you have an unsettling appearance to some, but it doesn’t make you evil. It doesn’t make you anything but  _ you _ , and I already love you as you are”

Frowning, the Ink demon slowly hugged him back, but his voice sounded soft and upset

“I just want to be able to live outside the studio without scaring anyone anymore. I don’t want to be an unsettling  _ monster _ .”

Hugging him tighter, Tom sounded rather sincere for once in a way that wasn’t his typical grouchiness;

“You’re not a  _ monster _ . You’re just  _ you _ .”

“But who  _ am _ I?”

Finally stepping into the room now, Henry sighed softly as the surprised Ink demon glanced over Tom’s shoulder at him

“That’s for you to decide now, Isn’t it? You get to choose. Don’t let your fear of what others might think stop you from finally getting to live the life you’ve dreamed of… you’ve earned every right to it”

The Ink demon seemed to quietly ponder Henry’s words, but his response was slightly dismissive

“I should have known you were here too…”

“Of course I am; I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Bendy grins then, waving at him

“Me too! An’ hey, if it makes ya feel better, you at least don’t have ta be ‘Bendy’ anymore- ‘specially ‘cause ya ain’t anymore! You can be whoever ya wanna be!”

Blinking, Henry gives Bendy a funny look

“What do you mean by that?...”

“Well, remember when we tried to ‘become one’ again but looked funny? We couldn’t entirely force ourselves back together- our souls weren’t lettin’ it happen! Turns out, we’d been separated so long we count as two people now!”

Tom grunts at that, turning to the Ink demon

“So, if you’re not Bendy anymore… who do you want to be? You’ve got a fresh new start, and nobody to force you to do what you don’t want to”

Frowning, the Ink demon glanced around at them all in turn before responding

“I-I… I don’t know. I don’t even have a name…”

Bendy snickers, adding

“Yeah, an’ we can’t just keep callin’ ya ‘Ink Demon’ ‘cause that’d be like callin’ me ‘dancin’ demon’ instead ‘a my name! It’s weird”

Tom rubs his chin in thought

“Names… I’ve never really been too good at that…”

Bendy snorts, smirking

“What about lesser Bendy? I’m greater Bendy, obviously”

The Ink demon sneers at him 

“Never.”

“Alright, alright; so ya don’t like it! Hmm…”

Henry shrugs a little, feeling surprisingly uninspired himself

“I’m actually pretty blank on that too…I’ve never thought of calling you something else before. What about... Ben?...”

The Ink demon makes a bit of a face at that, making Bendy snicker more

“That sounds like an  _ old man _ name, ya old man”

“Hey, It’s not  _ that _ bad…”

Tom finally chimes in then;

“Okay, what if we call you Ink...y? Like... Bendy, but...Ink.”

Sighing, he shakes his head

“I’m sorry- I told you I’m bad at names-”

“Actually... I like it…”

Blinking, Tom perks up with a grin

“Really? Well, then… Inky it is”

Smiling a bit now, the Ink demon seemed happier; however, the reel suddenly started flapping from having run out of film to play, making the Ink demon quickly catch it before it could fall off. Turning to Henry holding it, he frowned once more

“So… now what? We leave? We just… forget about everything, and re-enter the outside world?”

“I mean... that’s the general idea, I suppose. I haven’t had much time to consider what we’re going to do yet, nor consider what the outside world even  _ is _ anymore... But first, we need to deal with the machine one more time- for the  _ last _ time.”

Nodding a bit solemnly, the Ink demon looked to the reel in his hands

“I suppose It’s time to really end things once and for all then…”

Turning back to the way they’d come from, Henry sighs softly

“It’s time to shut off the machine.”


	65. One Way Only

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Convincing the Ink demon now deemed "Inky" to follow them, Henry and Tom are met with unfortunate discomfort and hostility at the demon's return. After another of his inspirational speeches however, Henry turns their anger on the machine instead- of which they dismantle with fury. After all, they can't leave it in the studio as the time finally has come to set foot outside- but a certain consequence of shutting the machine down makes it bittersweet...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: vague body horror/melting

* * *

Returning back to the machine room with the Ink demon finally, Henry squinted again thinking how the constant changes in light levels were going to eventually give him a headache. While they’d been gone, Lacie and Bertrum had apparently returned with their items as he could see them along with Sammy happily polishing his pin. Smiling a bit, Henry approached before being handed his ink jar and plush by Lacie

“Here ya are, Henry; safe an’ sound”

Bertrum puffs a bit, smoothing down his jacket

“Navigating back in the dark wasn’t simple, I hope you know… but we made it back nonetheless”

Lacie rolls her eyes at the comment before looking to Bendy who was still perched on Henry’s shoulder, briefly ruffling him on the head with a smile

“I can see why ya like him so much; he’s a cute lil fella, ain’t he?”

Bendy was simply eating up the attention, but Henry glanced behind himself back towards the Ink demon

“He is, but he’s a little monster on the inside when you get to know him… Ironically, his ‘brother’ is the one who’s calmer”

Slowly, Lacie looked past Henry at the Ink demon, frowning now. Henry was aware that she and most everyone hadn’t exactly had pleasant encounters with the Ink demon; most of the time, the Ink demon had hurt, threatened, and terrified them. The idea that he might be the ‘nice’ one seemed lost on her.

“Hmph… Henry, Yer a nice guy an’ I appreciate everythin’ you’ve done fer us, but I dunno how you can forgive that  _ thing _ so easily”

Henry shakes his head at her

“Most of what he did wasn’t really his fault... with the way he was treated, I don’t entirely blame how he felt towards me either. I know he’s not completely free of blame- he’ll have to make it up to many of those he hurt- but he spent a long time being a puppet extension for soulless-Joey… I don’t think he’d ever  _ really _ want to hurt anyone, especially had he been given more of a choice  _ not _ to.”

Lacie crosses her arms, eyeing him still

“Yeah? Well, it doesn’t change the fact he  _ did _ . Personally, I don’t trust ‘im… an evil spawn made by a madman bent on fantasy ain’t exactly the highest candidate for redemption, if ya ask me”

Bendy scoffs, eyeing her in return now

“Alright lady, I like ya, but listen- maybe he came from somethin’ bad, but it doesn’t  _ make _ him bad! He’s tryin’ at least! He can’t get much better if ya just shoot him down without givin’ ‘im a real chance!”

Henry was surprised to hear how adamantly Bendy was defending the Ink demon already, but he was glad for it. Lacie seemed unmoved for the moment, but she sighed uncrossing her arms

“Maybe yer right, maybe yer not… but I guess Henry’s right; he never had much a chance ta  _ be _ good, did he? I’ll let it slide fer now, but I  _ swear _ , if he tries  _ anythin’  _ funny...”

Tom places a hand on her shoulder, sighing

“Then I’ll take care of it. But I promise you he’s not intentionally mean… I actually took care of him for a while before the whole ‘evil studio’ thing happened. He wasn’t bad, just… curious. And scared. Really, really scared”

True to Tom’s word, the Ink demon fit the description perfectly with the way he was very slowly trying to poke his head into the room now, hands nervously folded against his chest. His posture very much resembled that of an ansty cat stepping into an unfamiliar situation. He only became more nervous as everyone’s attention started turning on him…

Frowning, the Ink demon looked to Henry and Tom who both tried to encourage him with smiles. Slowly but surely, he stepped into the brightly lit room while holding up his gloved hand to shield his face before standing straighter. Henry realized it was potentially the first time he’d ever seen actual sunlight before. Turning back to Lacie now, Henry smiles

“See? He’s not a threat anymore; just as confused as the rest of us...”

Lacie sighs again, still looking somewhat skeptical

“Yeaaah, fer now at least…but I’m not the only one you gotta convince”

Frowning at that, Henry turned to see that the many other studio employees looked rather afraid and unhappy with the Ink demon’s presence. Somehow, he hadn’t considered the possibility that there’d be remaining hostility towards the Ink demon- most of them hadn’t seen how said demon had helped them in the end.

Before he could say or do much about it, the Ink demon had already noticed and was frowning more. Looking to Tom now, the demon shook his head before starting to back away towards the darkened halls again. Quickly, Tom hurried over to stop him

“Hey- don’t run away just yet! It’s alright!”

Reluctantly, the Ink demon was pulled back into the room by him; he seemed more nervous than ever, especially with the crowd that was growing from the employees. The warehouse was large enough that Henry hadn’t quite realized just how many there were until they now started coming together. With the way they were beginning to encircle Tom and the Ink demon, Henry was starting to become rather nervous himself.

Trying to turn away and flee, the Ink demon found the exit had been blocked by butcher gang clones who had managed to sneak up behind them. Cornered, he was becoming frantic; next to him, Tom was starting to look ready to fight.

Looking to the others, Henry found their own group seemed split on the situation as well; some like Allison, Alice angel, and Wally looked worried while others like Sammy, Susie, and Norman didn’t seem keen to stop the Ink demon’s treatment. 

Turning back to the enclosing crowd that looked ready to attack, Henry felt himself grow antsy; what was he supposed to do now? Tom would likely get hurt in the crossfire, and the Ink demon was already facing his fears as a reality- rejection, hatred, and violence towards him for being who he was.

Just as Henry prepared to try and physically step in despite the impossible odds, he felt Bendy stand up on his shoulders; the little demon shouted so loud it echoed throughout the entire warehouse

“WAAAAAIT!”

With a small wave of surprise, many of the employees and butcher gang clones turned to look up at him. Staring them all down as if challenging them to dare try anything, Bendy spoke;

“What do ya all think yer even  _ doin’?! _ After everythin’ ya’ve seen and been through, all ya wanna do is get  _ revenge?! _ Haven’t we all had enough pain, hatred, an’ sufferin’ fer a  _ lifetime _ already from someone bent on gettin’ revenge?!”

Some of the employees seemed unsure now, but many still looked angry; one of them in particular holding a weapon shouted back

“He tortured us for ages and kept us paralyzed from action with fear of repercussion! He doesn’t deserve any kind of happy ending!”

Scoffing now, Bendy leaned forward to aggressively point making Henry have to try not losing his balance

“He’s the reason why any of ya even CAN have one of yer own in the first place! If it weren’t for him choosin’ ta help, we’d all be  _ dead _ dead!”

The crowd once again seemed unsure, but still, they were still unconvinced

“Why should we believe you? Aren’t you a devil just like him?”

Looking offended, Bendy glares

“Why I  _ oughta- _ ”

Quickly, Henry caught him out of the air as the little demon tried to leap at them; some of them flinched backwards in response. Struggling to hold him tightly, Henry sighed before standing on part of the machine to try and make himself taller so they all could see him.

“Listen, he’s right- without the Ink demon we wouldn’t have been able to escape. He helped save us all… and it was entirely of his own free will”

Slowly, the attention turned to the cringing Ink demon who looked like he wanted to escape more than anything. Interestingly enough, Henry realized he could have done so easily through the ink… something was keeping him from leaving.

Nearby, Sammy stepped towards Henry however, looking irate

“Henry, for once I have to side with them against you- after everything the Ink demon did… all the  _ lies _ , the pain, the torment of false hopes- where’s the justice in just  _ letting him go? _ ”

Turning to Sammy now, Henry frowned more; if anyone, Sammy had been personally slighted by the Ink demon the most besides him and Joey. After all, he’d been the ‘leader’ of the cult worship around him… and ‘killed’ by the Ink demon repeatedly in the cycle.

“Would assaulting or killing him really be ‘justice’ though? He Isn’t even the one who did this to us- he was turned into a tool by Joey to extend our torment. You have every right to be upset, but there’s better ways to make things right than assaulting him...”

Bendy snorts, crossing his arms

“At least in this case…  _ someone _ got what was comin’ to ‘im, though…”

Henry tried to ignore the jab about Joey, sighing once more

“What I mean is it won’t change anything. Getting ‘rid’ of him Isn’t even really possible anyways; he’s immortal. In the end, any physical damage you inflict on him will change nothing and I’m pretty sure It’d hardly make you feel better either”

Susie scoffs, looking towards the crowd

“Then wouldn’t it not matter if they  _ did _ attack him?...”

Before the crowd can turn to do so, Allison quickly countered her

“Yes, it would! Sammy’s right that what happened shouldn’t just be forgiven and forgotten right away, but hurting one another won’t do anything long term- It’ll only cause a lot of infighting and distrust amongst us!”

She tried to see Tom through the crowd, but at this point it was rather impossible without a vantage point. Henry continued speaking, adding on;

“Just… let me explain. Towards the end of the battle in the machine’s heart when everyone else had been wiped out, yes, things got really dark and really serious- but the Ink demon didn’t  _ want _ to fight. He’d been fighting against Joey the whole way… if he hadn’t it could’ve been a lot worse than it was”

Stepping off the machine now, Henry slowly approached the crowd

“He had plenty of opportunity to kill me. To kill  _ all _ of us once and for all- but in the end, he not only spared me, but helped  _ save  _ us. He could’ve refused to help open the way out… he could’ve stood there and let us die. But when it came down to it, I learned that was never what he  _ really _ wanted… it was what Joey told him he wanted. Just like us, all he wanted was to be free; to leave the studio and never come back”

Equally slowly, the crowd was parting to let Henry walk through them towards the Ink demon, Bendy walking behind him and giving them looks

“It doesn’t change what happened, or the way we were hurt… but it at least gives us the chance to live. To have the opportunity to be  _ better _ . I’m not asking that you all force yourself to like him or even want to be around him- I’m not asking you to forgive him either. Nobody has to forgive what was done- but at the very least, we can all choose to acknowledge the pain and move forward. We’ve all seen firsthand what happens when you let it consume you instead...”

As Henry reached the Ink demon, he smiled slightly at him; turning around, he saw the crowd had stayed parted. Sammy and the others who were still rather against the Ink demon looked rather unconvinced by his words, but Henry didn’t really blame them. It was difficult to let go of anger, especially when It’d been growing for many years.

“Look… the Ink demon Isn’t free of guilt; that’s not what I’m trying to say. But at the same time, are most of you free of it either? I was in the machine long enough to see the fighting, tearing apart, and torment inflicted by one another.  _ None _ of us are exactly heroes and perfect victims here when you think about it. If we’re going to looks past it for ourselves, Isn’t it only fair that we extend that same grace to the Ink demon?...”

Almost immediately Henry could see flashes of guilt on many faces- Sammy who had sacrificed people to the Ink demon, Susie who had cut up many for her ‘perfection’, Norman who’d mercilessly torn apart any who’d crossed his path, and more.

“You see what I mean? The machine did things to  _ all _ of us that made us unpleasant… even I hurt others along the way. It’s easy to pin a lot of that ‘evil’ on someone who became a common enemy, to absolve yourself of that guilt using him as a scape goat- but he was in almost the same situation as the rest of us. Just… please; don’t  _ beat up the Ink demon? _ ”

The last of his words, though full of sincere sentiment, sounded a little humorous; it was partially intentional as Henry wanted more than anything to diffuse the tension. Thankfully, it seemed to finally have gotten through as the employees started moving away from Tom and the Ink demon. Surprisingly, Tom looked rather relieved; he hadn’t been as willing and brave to fight them off as he’d seemed. Henry didn’t blame him though considering the sheer amount of employees.

Allison sighs then, talking both to their own group and partially out loud to the other employees

“I also want to point out Tom already volunteered to try and help make him a better person… none of you will have to deal with him ever again if you don’t want to. You can  _ leave _ and just- be free to move on now, at your own pace with your own company”

Sammy crosses his arms, sighing through his nose while closing his eyes for a moment before responding

“As much as I’m tempted to accept the offer… It’d mean cutting off some of the friends I’d made it through Hell and back with”

He glances to Henry, furrowing his brow as he addresses him

“You know you’re really talented at making us feel  _ bad _ about ourselves, right?”

Holding up his hands, Henry gives him a sympathetic smile

“Hey- that’s not the intention… I just want to help everyone be the best they can.”

Susie rolls her eye at that before looking a little amused

“Well, you certainly managed to get Sammy to admit he likes us…”

Blinking, Sammy scoffs at her

“Hey- I’m sure you don’t want to ditch them either!”

“Fine, fine- calm down prissy pants. Yes, I’ve grown attached to our little ‘group’ here…”

Rubbing his brow, Sammy purses his lips before speaking again

“After the amount of time we’ve all spent together, It’d just feel… wrong to separate over something like this. I don’t want to fight anyone… it just Isn’t worth holding onto that anger, like Henry said. I’d rather sooner forget about it all”

Henry smiled feeling glad that they seemed just as keen on keeping their personal group connected as he did; he’d had worries over losing touch with them once they’d gotten out of the machine, but perhaps they wouldn’t afterall. However, Sammy turned the moment quickly by adding;

“Also, You’re JUST as ‘prissy’ as me Susie- and you know it!”

As if expecting it, she nonchalantly countered;

“At least I don’t get flustered over it”

“WH- I DO NOT GET FLUSTERED!”

Norman snorts and adds

“You are right  _ now _ , Sammy”

“Oh, don’t YOU start-”

Wally laughs before pointing at Edgar then

“Yer all stuck up like that spider guy over there!”

Looking taken aback, now Edgar was offended- it made Bendy and Charley bust out laughing only offending him further

“Pardon ME, but I am not ‘prissy’; I am simply well mannered unlike many of you  _ heathens _ ”

While they were busy bantering, Tom and the Ink demon had approached them; The Ink demon still seemed rather uneasy despite Henry’s words. Slowly, the attention turned to him again, causing the group to fall quiet. Henry was worried things might become hostile but instead Sammy surprised him;

“You were an evil and cruel demon, through and through- but Henry’s right. The rest of us weren’t really ‘angels’ either. Well- besides the cartoon onet. We’ve all done things none of us are proud of that may never be forgiven… besides Alice angel again, but she still doesn’t count”

Alice chuckles nearby making Sammy shake his head

“-but what I mean is, many of us aren’t going to accept or forgive you right away; maybe some of us never will- but what’s done is done. And who knows? With time things always seem to change anyways. Regardless, however, can we at least agree on  _ one  _ thing? Can we finally shut off this  _ god forsaken machine already?? _ ”

Slowly, the Ink demon straightened out before nodding; as they all turned to the machine now, Lacie sighed heavily

“That’s a  _ big ass _ machine, fellas. What’re we even gonna use on it? A jackhammer? TnT?”

Tom furrows his brow, glancing to her

“You want to  _ break _ it? Do you have any idea how difficult it was to make and engineer this thing in the first place?! I invented it- what if I wanna keep it!”

Henry shakes his head, frowning

“Unfortunately, I have to agree with Lacie on this one. Even if we figure out how to simply turn it off, leaving it intact means the potential of it causing more harm and being used for evil. We need to make sure it can never be used again”

As Tom pouts, Allison gently comforts him

“Oh, Tom... you at least still have the blueprints, right? And what about the very first machine? That one’s more special anyways, right?”

Tom sighs, crossing his arms

“Yeah, I guess… we’ll have to track it down though.”

Allison smiles, leaning on him

“Sounds like a challenge and adventure for the two of us.”

Henry noticed a hint of a smile on Tom’s face that made him smile a little himself. Turning back to the machine however, he felt a sense of finality; the actual end of the machine. Soon, it would cease to be entirely, and they’d  _ truly _ be free of it once and for all. Staring up at it, he felt It’d be impossible to dismantle… but the shuffling of the employees in the room gave him an idea.

“Well guys… I think all we need is a little bit of help, and a lot of tools. Wally?”

Blinking, Wally turned to him from gazing up at the machine

“Huh?? Yeah?”

“Do you think you’d be able to find enough tools for us?  _ All _ of us?”

Looking around at the crowding of people, Wally makes a face

“All?? I can find  _ some _ I’m sure, but It’s not gonna be a whole lot- we’re gonna have ta make some ourselves!”

Pondering that for a moment, Henry looked down at his hands… Slowly, he took a deep breath before concentrating and closing his eyes. Focusing, he slowly tried to take control of the ink making up his arms…

Feeling an odd sensation, he reopened them to find his arms had turned into axes. Just like he had during magic practice inside the machine, he’d managed to pull it off again. Immediately, Bendy laughed in response

“Well, that works still, huh?? Guess ya don’t need demon magic ta shapeshift when yer  _ made  _ ‘a magic ink, huh?”

Smiling and raising his axe arms, Henry waved them a little before looking towards the crowd

“Apparently. Looks like everyone’ll be able to make their own tools afterall”

Wally looked amazed, but soon became more excited

“Oh man- you  _ gotta _ show me how ta do that!!”

Henry couldn’t help but grin at the enthusiasm

“Oh, I will… for everyone. We’re going to take this machine down with our own hands”

Calling everyone over now, Henry along with the help of Sammy, Bendy, and Norman began teaching the others how to shapeshift their ink forms. Though it was a lot of trial and error, it wasn’t too long before many were toying around with it and changing various shapes and parts of themselves; it was rather amusing and interesting to say the least.

Rather enthusiastically, Lacie raised her arms that she’d turned into rather solid mallets

“Haha, Hell yeah! Now that’s more like it!”

Chuckling, Henry waves one of his axe arms to gain the other’s attention again

“Alright everyone, listen up; let’s focus our group effort now and take this machine apart! Doesn’t matter how- just make sure you don’t hurt anyone, and  _ tear it down! _ ”

He didn’t need to further convince the crowd- they immediately surged towards the machine right after he finished speaking. It was almost frightening how eagerly and destructively they began to assault it, but Henry understood exactly how liberating it must feel. Like Tom though, he could only stand and watch it for a moment… 

Of course he hated the machine. It had been built and run on nothing but manipulation, suffering, and pure evil. But in some ways It’d given him other gifts; a new family and friends, his own creations in reality, and even a strange form of immortality. He wasn’t sure if the last bit would be a blessing or a curse, but he was sure there’d be someway to undo it in the future if it really came to it.

The machine had started all the tragedy in his and many others' lives, and it was now marking a major turning point; an end to a chapter, in a sense. When it was gone It’d mean an ending once and for all... 

...but, it wasn’t  _ the _ ending.

Quite the contrary, he realized that there was so much more for them to do, see, and experience now without fear, pain, and misery; a whole world he no longer understood. It’d be an adventure he wouldn’t have to make alone, and one that could be positive. Now, he felt quite excited instead while watching it being taken apart.

Smiling, Henry looks to Tom

“An old ending… but a new beginning.”

Tom raised an eyebrow at him before Henry went running forward, sinking his bladed axe arms into the side of the machine with fury. With him and the dozens if not few hundred others assaulting and tearing apart the machine, it wasn’t long before it was shutting down and breaking. Piece by piece, panel by panel, they were pulling apart the very thing that had supplied their suffering for so long.

With hissing, clunking, and strain, the machine finally gave its last few sad strained clunks of life before slowing down and giving in to their carnage. One more drip of ink and a clang, and the machine finally had shut off; their work wasn’t over just yet, however. They still had to entirely dismantle and destroy the machine so it couldn’t have even the slightest hope of being repaired. Despite the number of people, the progress was still unproductive as its design was proving to be surprisingly sturdy in comparison to the pipes that had fed it.

Stepping forward, the Ink demon gazed up at the machine. He briefly glanced to Henry without saying a word, but Henry understood; he was going to help them.

Raising his hands now, the Ink demon willed the ink that had flooded the floor to rise and start seeping into every possible crevice of the machine. As it worked its way in, bolts, panels, and pieces began to undo themselves and fly free. Several many people had to shield themselves from it before everyone was retreating now, watching as the very ink the machine created became its destruction. 

Within minutes, the Ink demon had managed to completely disassemble it in an expert way that made Henry question if he’d studied the blueprints. With how much time he’d spent with Tom, it wouldn’t surprise him. 

What had been left of the machine was finally in pieces, leaving nothing behind but metal scrap and assorted random parts that were useless now. The machine was gone.

Though Tom seemed rather disappointed, everyone else quickly burst into cheers; they were free of the machine. Laughing, Bendy turned to Henry then with the biggest smile he’d ever seen on the little demon’s face

“Well whaddya know? No machine, an’ we’re all still here doin’ fine! Now we know fer  _ sure _ the souls worked!”

Henry felt ready to celebrate himself, but something else caught his eye…

The Ink demon, who had been standing perfectly fine a moment ago, was slowly starting to double over and clutch himself. Was something wrong with him? Already, Tom had run to his side

“Hey- what’s wrong?? Are you hurt?”

Hurrying over himself now, Henry frowns; the Ink demon was shivering violently. Taking deep breaths, he slowly looked up at the two of them

“W-what’s happening to me?... I feel like I’m…”

Suddenly, the ink he was made of began to deform and drip away from him more than before. Surprised, Tom exclaimed for him;

“Melting?!”

Turning to Henry now, he looked panicked

“But the whole soul-thing! He should be fine- the others are fine, why Isn’t he?!”

“I-I don’t know! I-I’m not a demon expert!”

With a gasp, the Ink demon began to melt even more; he was quickly sinking and becoming less and less defined. Crying out in his own panic now, he sounded almost pained

“No! NO! I-It’s not fair! It’s not FAIR! I want to  _ live! _ I-I want to be FREE! Why?! Why am I cursed to the end by the damned MACHINE!”

Somewhat surprisingly to Henry, Sammy and the others actually looked rather mortified as the demon was melting; personally, Henry felt like crying as he watched the Ink demon’s pain. Falling to his knees, he started pointlessly trying to hold him together, soon joined by Tom; however the effort was rather useless.

Grasping onto both Tom and Henry’s arms now, the Ink demon whimpered in a way that made Henry’s heart break.

“I just wanted to live! I just wanted to be  _ free _ ! Why must I be  _ nothing _ without the machine?…”

Struggling to speak now, he looked both of them in the eye in turn

“Even in the end I’m nothing more than another ghost of Joey’s making… and with all his other mistakes, I’ll be erased until I’m nothing more than a bad memory…”

Tearing up finally, Henry winced as Tom practically shouted next to him

“NO! That’s not true- you’re not just some ‘mistake’! You’re a living, breathing being that we care about- that  _ /I/ _ care about! You’re not going to die, dammit- I won’t let you!”

Slowly however, the Ink demon was still melting into the ink. Sniffling quietly, he turned to look at Bendy who was frozen with horror before almost whispering

“If anything, at least one good thing came from me… I suppose if I’m able to leave behind something people can love… my existence wasn’t fully in vain”

Tearing up too now, Bendy practically began bawling before running over and clutching what was left of his ‘other half’.

“I-I didn’t mean any of the bad things I ever said!! I-I don’t wanna lose you! Please, don’t  _ die! _ ”

“You haven’t lost me, though… so long as you exist, part of me lives on…”

“No!! I don’t  _ want  _ ya ta just be a memory- I want ya ta  _ live! _ ”

Chuckling softly in away that was devoid of any true humor, the Ink demon’s horns were slumping now. They hardly even looked like melting cat ears anymore, no less horns.

“Funny how we went from hating and rejecting one another to this in the end… I’m glad to have met you, even if we were one in the same at some point in time. It gave me the chance to actually  _ see _ the good in me...”

Shaking his head, Bendy looked to Henry with tearful eyes

“We gotta at least bring him outside!! He deserves to at least see what It’s like, an’ not die in the studio!”

Rubbing his eyes, Henry shook his head

“H-How would we even bring him outside like this, Bendy?”

Sniffing loudly, Wally suddenly spoke up

“H-Hold on, I have somethin’ you can use! I’ll be right back!”

As Wally ran off quickly, everyone else turned their attention back to the Ink demon. Though he was still melting, it had slowed down significantly; however, he was merely a torso and head without limbs anymore that looked like a wax figure left in the sun. Sniffing, Tom shook his head

“I don’t get it- I don’t understand! Why is this happening?! Why! It’s not fair to him- It’s not  _ fair! _ ”

Allison hurried over now, trying to comfort him; while she does, Wally came back with something rattling behind him. He was pulling what looked like a metal children’s wagon, but it was rusted.

“H-Here… I usually use it fer toting ‘round heavy stuff an’ tools, but you can use it!”

Looking to the Ink demon, Henry frowns

“How’re we supposed to move him?...”

Without answering, Bendy already was lifting him using the ink and setting him in the wagon before running to the other side and starting to pull it with a struggle. The thick ink on the floor was making it hard for him. Sighing softly, Henry rose a bit shakily before walking over and pulling it for him.

“C’mon… let’s get him outside of the studio. We all deserve some fresh air at least...”

Like a solemn silent exodus, Henry was in the lead pulling the Ink demon’s wagon now while first being followed by their immediate friend group, then by the mass of employees and butcher gang clones. Thankfully, Norman was lighting to way for them again so Henry didn’t have to blindly stumble around. Carefully, he lifted the wagon over the pipe running across the floor before heading towards the exit.

“Just hang in there buddy… we’re almost there.”

The closer he came to the exit however, the more nervous Henry was feeling. At the end of the exit hall, the door leading out had a bright halo of light around it; it was warm, and beckoning even more than ever. Part of him still had the visceral fear however… the fear of reaching it, coming so close to freedom, only to fall back into darkness.

Approaching it now however, the floor stayed solid- Henry was still holding his breath though. Reaching his hand towards the door knob, he found it was shaking, so he grasped it firmly. Heaving a sigh, he slowly turned it… and finally, without any last second tricks, it opened.


	66. Turning The Page

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This time, it's real- all of it is very real, and finalizing for Henry and the others as they set foot into a world of brilliant color and warm sun they'd only dreamed of returning to for many countless years. Just how many years is hard to handle as Wally finally explains what happened so long ago and how much time has passed- but it leads to a grand opportunity for them to rebuild and live a new life of their own. However, a few things remain- what will happen with Inky, and how will the outside world react? Time can only tell, but a new somewhat familiar face comes along to help lead the way...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: passage of time/large passage of time dysphoria
> 
> Notes: I'll be seeing you all next week for the last two chapters before the big crossover bonanza the last one has in store! I hope you all enjoy the epilogue coming up as well as my and corrupt's extra-special team effort to bring you a fantastic ending for our AU's, though mine ahead of theirs! Remember to check my twitter @RobBBlunder for that giveaway and stay tuned- see you all soon :D

* * *

No broken floor, no falling, no catch; the door was open.

Immediately, Henry found himself dazzled by light as bright as the exit tunnel from the machine had been; that is, until his eyes adjusted.

The view before him now was  _ incredible _ .    
At least, to him it was. 

Immediately outside the studio’s worn front door, what had been a parking lot was long broken up and cracked as many brilliantly green plants pushed through it. The main road and any other roads that weren’t entirely reclaimed by the grass and plants shared the same fate.

All the buildings that had made up the town were broken down and abandoned, some only ghosts of a memory with nothing but the slightest visible foundations left of them. It wasn’t dreary however- in fact, the entire world was  _ far _ from it. Plants of all kinds bloomed across everything, sporting plenty of leaves and hundreds of flowers accompanied by a jewel blue sky, with a few puffy white clouds racing across it. The color of it all was as dazzling as the golden sunshine glimmering in a soft afternoon warmth.

Glancing behind himself at the many curious eyes waiting for him to take the first step, Henry looked forward again taking a deep breath. Exhaling slowly, he finally stepped out into the light while pulling the Ink demon behind him… and closed his eyes as the warm light washed over him. He almost couldn’t believe it was real; he felt like it was a dream. But the solidity of the ground under his feet told him otherwise.

Reopening his eyes, he almost felt as if the direct sunshine had baptized him as he felt like a new person- real, fresh air was blowing against him, and everything was so  _ alive _ . It was incredible.

Soon, he was joined by the others who were equally impressed and marvelling at the outdoor world filled with color. Bendy in particular looked like he was struggling not to run off and roll in the grass, but that was exactly what Henry wanted him to do- to embrace it. Smiling down on the little demon, he nodded

“Go. I’ll take care of him…”

Bendy frowned, looking to the Ink demon instead

“No- I wanna stay by him first.”

“Alright…”

Glancing to the Ink demon as well, Henry was glad to see that despite his condition, he looked absolutely delighted. The smile on his face wasn’t cold, angry, or spiteful for once- it was genuinely happy. So much so, Henry heard him whisper;

“Wow… It’s amazing…”

Feeling bittersweet, Henry figured the next best thing he could do now was bring him closer to it. Pulling the wagon further, Henry started dragging it right into the overgrown grass filled with wildflowers towards a small hill that had trees growing over it. Though he hadn’t said anything, the others were following him as well while taking everything in.

At the top of the hill, Henry pulled the Ink demon under the shade of a massive oak tree whose leaves were being rustled by a persistent breeze. Still smiling, the Ink demon was gazing out over everything with the new view their vantage point offered. Slowly, Henry sat down next to the wagon, sighing softly and gazing off into the distance with him.

“This is it… this is the world we came from. Well- part of it at least. Full of nothing but life, and color…”

Walking up on the other side of the wagon, Bendy gently placed a hand on its rim as he too joined them

“It’s no wonder ya always got so much inspiration… I’d never stop findin’ this amazin’”

Tom made his way over then, looking solemn as he gazed on the Ink demon

“I s’ppose in the end you at least get to finally be outside, huh?... It was always the one thing you begged me to see… I’m sorry it couldn’t have been soon, and under better circumstances…”

Slowly, the Ink demon frowned before looking up at Tom

“But I still get to see it. It’s all I’ve ever dreamed of… it may not be the best situation, but I’m not sad. For once in my entire existence… I feel… free. From everything… I have peace of mind finally.”

Henry frowns, feeling his eyes threatening to tear up again; Tom already seemed to be crying slightly. Gradually, the rest of their friends approached and started to sit down around the wagon with them. Heaving a sigh, Lacie glanced to the Ink demon 

“So whaddya think?”

Smiling again, the Ink demon sighed back softly

“It’s like a dream come true. I suppose I understand Joey’s persistence to reach  _ his _ dreams now… Even if I barely have working eyesight, I can still see how  _ vivid _ everything is- and I love it”

Sammy huffed a little, having a bittersweet grin

“That’s the summer for you… the sun shines so bright it tends to burn. Usually, It’s  _ too _ hot”

“That’s alright… I like it this way. I’ve been living in cold darkness long enough”

Approaching with arms full of many flowers, Alice angel crouched by the wagon now

“Aren’t they beautiful?? Boris helped me pick them! I can’t decide which color I like best- they’re all so wonderful…”

Gazing over the various flowers, the Ink demon’s gaze focused on a bundle of brilliant red poppies at the center of her bouquet.

“I think I like that one the most… what would you call it?”

Alice blinks then, looking to Henry who was still trying not to feel sad.

“Henry, we don’t actually know which color is which… what  _ are _ they?”

Looking a little confused himself, Henry glanced to the Ink demon

“I thought you knew colors? Weren’t you around before the sepia toned studio inside the machine?...”

“Yes, but I hardly saw color  _ inside _ the studio… the only few I did see I never learned the names of…”

Tom grunts, rubbing the back of his neck

“That’d be my fault. Never really thought to explain them to him…”

“Right- guess that makes sense… Here; let me see”

Pointing at the different flowers now, he started listing colors for them

“These are yellow daffodils, these are orange lillies, this one is a purple violet- but don’t let the name fool you, they’re blue and purple mixed. These are pink cone flowers, these are blue forget-me-nots, and those…”

He gestures to the ones the Ink demon was looking at

“..those are red poppies.”

Alice happily exclaims then;

“I think I like purple- but they’re all so pretty! And their names… forget-me-not- how sweet!”

Tom sighs, nodding a little

“Fitting for us, if you ask me…”

The Ink demon quietly gazed on the poppies a little longer before musing to himself

“Red?...”

Charley snorts, grinning at him

“Yeah! Didja know human blood is made of red?”

Immediately, he was swatted by Edgar who gave him a dirty look; Holding up his hands, Charley grimaces

“Hey, I’m just sayin’! Before we turned into ink our blood was red!”

Bendy makes a face, looking to Henry

“Do humans really normally bleed  _ color?? _ ”

Also making a face, Henry shrugs vaguely

“I mean… I suppose, yes- but color Isn’t really a physical thing. It’s more of what we perceive with our vision… you see, light is made up of all the colors in one, but certain properties of others things can either absorb or reflect different parts of it. Whichever colors are reflected the most is what our eyes see while the others are mostly absorbed… so in a way, blood is actually every color  _ but _ red if you think about it.”

Bendy stares at him for a long moment before he snorts, looking towards the flowers in Alice’s hands

“An’ ya say there’s no magic in yer world… everythin’ is every color but the ones they look like?? That’s wild! Does this mean our world of black an’ white technically is every color too??”

Henry makes a so-so gesture with one hand

“Not exactly- those are kind of the exception... white is every color being reflected resulting in a lack of one, and black is either a lack of light or all of them being absorbed so they don’t show either”

Bendy huffs, looking at himself now

“Man… I must be full ‘a color then if I’m made ‘a black ink!! I’m like a human now- I have color inside me!”

Henry smiled a little at that, but as the group slowly fell quiet again he could feel the weight of the situation settle over them once more. The Ink demon was still dripping away, and it was only a matter of time now. He felt like they were watching as hour glass running out towards death itself. 

Despite it though, the many other employees were running around the grass fields and enjoying being outside again. Even Wally was running amongst them, laughing and smiling like it was the best day of his life.

Finally, Bendy couldn’t help it any longer; bursting forward he tore off into the long grass disappearing in it. It wasn’t long before Henry could see him again however as the little demon was jumping out of it repeatedly while he ran- it was a lot like watching a kitten play in a field. It would’ve been cuter if he didn’t have the withering Ink demon next to him to sober him.

Leaning forward now, said Ink demon was still smiling despite it

“I want to touch the grass too.”

Tom frowns, looking to him

“But…”

“I don’t want to melt in a wagon… I want to sit in the grass”

Tom seemed unsure, but nodded before taking the handle and pulling the Ink demon back down the hill towards the field. Slowly getting up, Henry frowns

“I always thought leaving the studio would be the happiest day of my life…”

Allison walks up next to him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder

“And it still  _ can  _ be; don’t be sad, Henry… the Ink demon is happy. He got his wish just like we did”

“Still…”

Allison sighs softly while she and Henry watched Tom struggle to lift what was left of the Ink demon from the wagon before she spoke again

“Look at it this way; he doesn’t have to be locked away, tormented, or forgotten anymore. He gets to go on his own terms. It’s the least that could be given for anyone, if you ask me… a chance to have control over the way you leave”

Henry frowns, looking to her now

“But he wanted to live. There’s still so much he hasn’t experienced yet- a fuller life...”

Finally, Tom had set the Ink demon down in the grass who looked delighted; funny enough, the demon was biting  _ mouthfuls _ of it now in his excitement. Immediately after, he made a face and spat it out making Tom laugh despite it all- Henry also felt a twitch of a smile. Allison glances to him then, slowly looking him in the eye

“That can be said for anyone with any kind of life if you think about it- there’s always things everyone doesn’t get a chance to do. Either way though, he still gets to have a  _ good _ experience in the end at the very least- and  _ that _ is something many people never get the chance to have.”

Nodding slowly, Henry watched as a brightly colored butterfly floated past them… she was right. Henry and many of them hadn’t gotten to choose how they lost their lives to become ink clones. It had been traumatizing to learn about, and it still made him feel disturbed when thinking about it- perhaps it was a gift then that the Ink demon’s would be different. 

Suddenly, another butterfly fluttered past them. Then another… then many,  _ many _ more- that’s when he realized Bendy was chasing herds of them around the field towards them, laughing with glee. A rather large colorful one landed on the Ink demon’s face, who looked surprised but delighted. Smiling now, Henry sighed and closes his eyes feeling a couple tears fall 

“It’s just so hard to say goodbye…”

“I know, Henry… but if anybody’s mastered it I think you know how to do it best.”

“Hm. You’d think so... but it always makes me  _ cry _ .”

Hearing a sniff behind him, Henry blinked before looking over to find Sammy was rubbing his eyes. Huffing with amusement now, he noticed that a  _ lot _ of the others were teary eyed too.

“...seems I’m not the only one, either”

Susie sighs, giving him a pouty look

“You just have to make  _ everything _ so emotional!”

Next to her, all of the butcher gang were wiping their eyes too; Henry almost felt bad. Looking over the toons however, he realized he hadn’t seen Boris in a moment…

“Hey… where’s Boris?”

Looking around for a moment, Allison suddenly pointed

“Look- over there, with Wally. He’s playing fetch… oh my goodness.”

Smiling widely now, Henry can’t help laughing a little

“Well, I’m glad someone’s having a good time. Though, I suppose  _ everyone _ is… even Inky”

Allison blinks, giving him a look

“Inky?”

“Yeah. That’s the name the Ink demon chose for himself… Tom came up with it”

Chuckling, Allison shakes her head

“Of course he did…”

Suddenly, Tom shouted over to them as if he could tell they’d mentioned him somehow;

“Hey! Quick- Come here, guys!”

Raising an eyebrow, Henry shared a look of confusion with Allison

“What do you think that’s about?”

“Only one way to find out…”

Quickly, all of them hurried down the hill (besides Betrum, who was refusing to move out of the shade now) before coming up to Tom and the Ink demon. Tom gestured to him then, looking up as they arrive

“Look- his face!”

Curious, Henry moved to the other side of the confused demon before finding himself rather surprised

“He… he  _ has _ one?”

Despite his melting, the Ink demon was still somewhat in tact and had even changed… half of the ink that covered his face had not only melted away, but  _ uncovered _ something else. On the left side of his face the Ink demon had a single horizontal oval pie-cut eye that looked ink-drippy, but it was more like tear lines than actually dripping ink. He had an  _ eye _ . Additionally, the side of his face with the eye showed what looked like part of a clearly defined face mask like Bendy had. 

Still confused, the Ink demon questions;

“What’re you  _ looking _ at?? What do you mean  _ has _ one?...”

Nosy as he was, Charley snorted from where he’d somehow sneakily squished between Tom and Henry

“He means ya actually had one under all that ink! We can see yer eye!”

“You… you  _ can? _ Wait- I have an  _ eye _ ?”

Henry slowly knelt in front of him then, gently holding a hand out

“May I?...”

“I… suppose…”

Carefully, Henry felt over the side of the Ink demon’s face causing him to close the visible eye until he pulled his hand away

“I think… you’re not melting anymore. You feel solid”

Surprised, the Ink demon looks up at Tom who seemed just as unsure. Kneeling down too now, Tom also gently felt the demon’s face to confirm

“He’s right… maybe… maybe It’s stopped?”

Carefully now, Susie pulled Charley away so she could take his place instead

“Excuse me- I can be the judge of that… as someone who  _ knows _ something about melting, I think I can help”

Tom snorts, shaking his head at her

“Be our guest, I suppose…”

Looking into the Ink demon’s curious eye now, Susie slowly scanned him over. Reaching out, she suddenly took hold of the dripping ink on one of his horns and wiped it away- at first, the Ink demon didn’t seem all too happy, but he became more curious as Susie smiled at him. She’d uncovered his still in-tact horn that had simply been weighed down with excess ink.

“I think I know  _ exactly _ what’s happening to him…”

As she flicked the excess ink off her hand, Henry and Tom both looked to her with confusion before Sammy asks,

“ _ Well? _ What’s happening?”

“I think he’s changing. It’s like when I melted into that puddle… I came back out after, but looked different- whatever’s happening, something changed, and now It’s making him  _ physically _ change…”

Bendy trots over now, covered in grass stains and snorting with a smug look

“Ya mean when ya lost all that corruption an’ turned nice again?”

“Oh, stuff it, you over glorified  _ runt _ ”

“Hey! I ain’t a  _ runt! _ I’ll have ya know I-”

The little demon’s words cut off upon seeing his Ink demon brother giving him a funny look with his one visible eye. Staring back, Bendy huffs with surprise before smiling

“Holy smokes! Ya got an eye!!”

“Apparently so… I can’t really see my own face though…”

As Bendy started messing with his ‘brother’, Tom turned to the rest of the group

“So what’s this mean, then- the changing? Is he not dyin’ after all?”

Susie shakes her head, still smiling

“I don’t think so, no; he’s just going to look different after a while…”

Bendy happily hugged the mostly melted Ink demon then, exclaiming

“It makes sense now! When the machine stopped existin’, yer ties to it musta finally been broken- thus, all that bad is meltin’ away like Susie’s did!”

He pauses then, making a face and shaking ink off himself before speaking again

“Does this mean we’re gonna have ta put him in a jar?...”

The Ink demon made a face at that, shaking his head causing drops of ink to fly

“Please, do  _ not _ do that…”

“Alright, alright- a  _ bowl _ ?”

“That’s not much better…”

“A can of SOUP!”

Henry sighs, giving the little demon a look

“Bendy…”

“Hey, I’m just tryina help!”

Wiping at his eyes a bit, Tom now looked rather relieved; in fact, Henry felt it too- they’d just learned that the Ink demon wasn’t dying after all. They couldn’t be entirely sure just yet, but Henry had a warm feeling that told him it was likely going to be okay… he had hope.

Though, if the Ink demon  _ was _ melting first…

“...maybe we  _ /should/ _ at least get you back in the wagon though”

Sighing, the Ink demon nodded a little

“I suppose It’s better than accidentally draining into the ground… do plants drink  _ ink? _ ”

As Bendy used his ink control to lift the other demon, Sammy snorts and answers;

“Actually, they do to some degree. I remember Joey gifting a lot of flowers around the studio that were unusual colors because dye had been put in their water or something… I wonder if that’s why some of them turned  _ black _ ”

It was Norman’s turn to snort and tease him

“Either that, or you’re just terrible at keepin’ plants alive Sammy”

“Wh- I am  _ not! _ I just don’t tend to garden! I don’t like getting dirt and other grime under my nails- it distracts me from playing my instruments!”

Susie gave him a smug look then

“And from being your cleanly, prissy self…”

Crossing his arms, Sammy gave her a matter-of-fact look back

“Hey, I know for a FACT that you don’t  _ either _ ,  _ missy. _ So don’t try and give me sass”

Allison shook her head, looking amused at them

“Either way, you’re both probably going to have to get your hands dirty again soon… I mean, look at this place- if we don’t leave, we’ll have to rebuild it ourself, won’t we?”

Both of them looked taken aback at the suggestion, but Lacie walked between the two raising an eyebrow as she looked Henry in the eye now

“Hey, yeah- what  _ are _ we gonna do now? We ain’t exactly back as if nothin’s happened. The whole town’s gone…”

Edgar walked up next to the Ink demon’s wagon now where Bendy was playing with his unamused brother’s face

“Perhaps we can ask Wally? If he has been around so long, he should be able to tell us what happened, no?”

Henry turned to see Wally approaching with Boris, both of them holding a bunch of piled things in their arms… the closer they got, the more Henry realized they were holding brilliant red  _ strawberries _ . Laughing happily, Wally came up to them while Boris was chewing a rather massive mouthful of the fruit already.

“Hey, guys- anyone want some  _ real  _ food? The other employees were goin’  _ nuts _ bein’ able ta eat somethin’ that wasn’t bacon soup, apparently!”

Smiling, Henry gladly took a large handful

“You have  _ no _ idea. Thank you…”

“Hey, It’s no problem! Fresh fruit’s always the best!”

Almost immediately everyone was taking their own handfuls of the fruit and revelling at being able to taste something besides bacon for once. Kneeling by the wagon, Henry held one out first to Bendy

“Here… I’m sure you know what these are, but you never saw them in color before”

Wide eyes and excited, he gladly took it

“Strawberries!! Wow- they look so much  _ nicer _ in color!”

“I’m glad you think so. Color actually is part of what makes food taste good… at least, to humans that is”

Turning to the Ink demon now, Henry held a large one up for him

“Here… It’s red like those flowers you liked”

Smiling happily, the Ink demon took the berry with this teeth before eating it. Henry felt glad to see his face light up; he’d probably never eaten much in his lifetime, considering. Giving some to Edgar too, Henry began eating some himself before sighing happily

“Wally, you have no idea how much this means to us…”

“Apparently not! I can’t imagine eatin’ only one thing fer a day, no less  _ years _ ”

“Actually, about that- exactly how  _ much _ time has passed since we were gone?”

Wally blinked before tapping his chin and thinking

“Hmm… that’s hard ta say, really! I haven’t been keepin’ track! Things have been movin’ so fast, though- technology and inventions have been flyin’ since ya guys were gone! Considerin’ everyone kept disappearin’ ‘round the 30’s all the way to the 50’s though… I’d say It’s at  _ least  _ been 30 years since, if not longer!”

Henry blanched a little at that, feeling the reality of time having passed without them finally hit him; how much had they missed? How different was everything now?

“Th…thirty years?...”

“Yeaaah, but It’s probably even  _ more _ than that!”

Grimacing, Henry took a moment to come to terms with how long It’d been at least a little before sighing and shaking his head. The others seemed just as disturbed, which was only fair.

“Okay… well, that answers one question- sort of. The other one I have is what  _ happened? _ Why is the town deserted like this, with the studio being the most in-tact building? Shouldn’t everything have developed and evolved with time?”

Wally frowned then, shaking his own head

“It’s a sad story, actually- me an’ Shawn had ta watch it with our own eyes. This place became a straight up  _ ghost town _ before long. I dunno how the studio is still standin’, I think It’s got somethin’ ta do with magic… But, turns out, the machine had been leakin’ so much ink It’d gone straight into the ground water an’ polluted everythin’! Didja know ink used ta have  _ mercury _ in it?? That stuff’s apparently really toxic, an’ killed lotsa people! Anyone who didn’t die picked up an’ left town in a real hurry!”

Henry stared with slight horror, picturing people getting sick and abandoning the entire town- it made sense considering just how much ink the studio had been full of. Allison looked confused however, questioning him herself now;

“But if the ink was toxic and poisoned everything… how come there’s so many plants and wild creatures here?”

Wally blinked before huffing a laugh and putting both arms behind his head

“Well, y’know mother nature; she’s a real tough one! Always reclaims anythin’ if ya give her enough time, includin’ toxic ink! But that doesn’t mean this place ain’t toxic no more. It’s still pretty deadly fer anyone who ain’t made a ink like us- in fact, I’m not even legally  _ supposed _ ta be here. I kinda crossed the big ol’ ‘keep out, hazardous waste’ barrier they made without permission…”

Henry turned to look into the distance, but he couldn’t see a sign of the barrier- it made him consider just how large the area of effect must have been. In a sense, however, it may have given them the perfect opportunity…

“You mean nobody comes in here? And they can’t live here, but  _ /we/ _ can?”

“Hm? Well, yeah! It’s kinda empty with so much space, though. That’s why me an’ Shawn were livin’ together outside it in the nearest place over with the non-ink people!”

Smiling a little now, Henry gazed over the expanse of broken empty buildings. Though they weren’t very intact, they were still reminiscent of the world they’d once known…

“I think this might be the perfect place for us to rebuild and live, actually. We don’t have to worry about being bothered by the outside world unless we want to be around them. We can take things at our own pace…”

Bendy snorts, giving him a wild look

“Are ya  _ crazy?? _ Rebuild a whole  _ town?! _ ”

“I mean… why not? What better things do we have to do now?”

Staring at him silently for a moment, Bendy sniffed before grinning again

“Yer crazy, old man”

The Ink demon leaned forward in his wagon, smiling at Wally

“The outside town… do you think we could see it?”

Wally smiled back, dropping his arms back to his sides

“Oh- sure! It’s real nice out there, and a pretty busy place with lotsa people ta meet! But uhhh… I dunno how they’d react ta findin’ a buncha dead people are back an’ like… technically zombies now”

Wally had a point when Henry thought about it; they’d probably have to establish some kind of outside connection to let the world know they existed in some form. Otherwise, It’d be a nasty surprise when the two worlds clashed for both parties. 

Before he could start coming up with an idea as to  _ how  _ however, what was clearly a car horn came blaring from down the road. Grimacing, Henry turned to Wally

“You said you came in here illegally, right?...”

Also grimacing, Wally gave him a sheepish look

“Errr, yeah… I kinda did”

Sammy scoffed, looking around at their little group for a moment

“Well,  _ now  _ what?? Are they going to try and  _ arrest _ us? I mean- we’re technically not even  _ human _ anymore… Norman has a projector lens eye, and half of us are  _ toons _ !”

Norman shrugged, looking over towards the road

“I mean, they can still try… keyword  _ try. _ ”

Alice angel nervously clutched Boris’ arm now, making the wolf look nervous too as she exclaimed

“But we didn’t do anything wrong, did we?? Oh, I hope they don’t arrest us!”

Bendy snorted again, sneering

“I’d like ta see ‘em  _ try _ an’ arrest me!”

Edgar sighed, covering his face with all three hands

“Oh, no…”

As the vehicle came closer, the other employees began to gather near Henry; they were nervously looking to him for guidance once again as he’d practically established a sort of leadership, intentionally or not. 

Sighing, Henry watched it come to a stop; thankfully, it was a lone car so they weren’t in massive trouble. At least, not yet.

“Well, I guess I might as well try to explain ourselves to them… Wally, mind coming with me to help out?”

Still looking unsure, Wally sighed

“Yeaaah, s’ppose so… I just hope they don’t fight us fer trespassin’ or somethin’”

“Me too”

Bendy pouts then, looking up at Henry

“Hey, what if we wanna come??”

“That’s… probably a really bad idea. Just wait here, okay? If something happens,  _ then _ you can come.”

“Ugh, fiiiiiiine…”

Henry smiled and ruffled the little demon’s head before turning back to their company. As he started walking towards the vehicle, he furrowed his brow as one of the doors flung open; an unfamiliar man who looked like them started going on a tangent in a loud and angry irish accent suddenly

“Fer cryin’ out LOUD Wally- Runnin’ off inta God knows where jus’ ta see the ol’ studio?? Ya had me worried somethin’ happened, what with all the noise I heard by the gates! I wen’ an’ got the police an’-”

Pausing, the man Henry recognized as Shawn Flynn looked shocked to see him; more shocked than Henry was to see him somehow. Running over with a smile now, Wally hugged his friend exclaiming happily

“Shawn!! I was worried we did somethin’ wrong an’ were gonna be in trouble fer a second there!”

Huffing, Shawn adjusted a hat similar to Wally’s on his own head before turning back to look at Henry. 

“Well, I wouldn’t say yer  _ not _ …”

He was very lean and thin, but equally tall making him almost look comically cartoonish like a human pole. His hair was messy and on the longer side, his bangs swept to one side from under his cap and pouring out the back of it. He had a scruffy but neatly trimmed beard that was mostly on the sides of his jaw and center chin as well as rather thick brows. His outfit seemed to be old-aged like the rest of them, consisting of slacks, a button up with sleeves haphazardly rolled up, and a thin leather string bowtie around his neck.

Glancing between Wally and Henry, he questioned;

“An’ who’s this fella with the lot starin’ us down like they’ve been caught commitin’ crime red handed?”

Wally snorted a bit, smiling at Henry

“This is Henry- the original creator of Bendy! He an’ all the others just came outta the machine! Turns out the studio really  _ was _ haunted after all- by the people still bein’ in it this whole time!”

“Christ on tha devil’s bike-  _ ya mean they were /all/ in that thing?? _ Jus’ cram packed like’a buncha fish in a can??”

Sighing, Henry shook his head

“Actually, there was an entire  _ other _ studio inside the machine… It’s uh… hard to explain.”

Slowly, Henry realized a couple of unfamiliar people brought by Shawn to look for Wally were climbing out of the car looking like they’d seen ghosts. Frankly, that wasn’t entirely off; it may as well be what they were looking at.

Approaching with caution, a young man with messy blonde hair and brown eyes was staring at him now

“W...where the Hell did you say you folks came out of just now?”

Grimacing a little, Henry glanced to the other that had come with them- an older woman with the same hair and eye color standing nearby who almost seemed ready to bolt as Bendy waved at her. He figured the two must’ve been related.

“Er… the uh… ink machine. Inside of the old studio…”

Slowly, the two exchanged a look before the first one looked to Henry again

“A machine… an  _ ink _ machine? Inside the unstable broken animation studio?”

Wally sighed, holding up his arms now

“That’s what I’ve been tryin’ ta tell ya guys fer  _ ages! _ That’s where all the ink that poisoned the town came from!”

The woman walked over to them now, still keeping her gaze trained on the others

“So you’re saying that cold case of hundreds of missing people from the 1940’s was… was…  _ what is this? _ ”

Henry sighed now, looking towards her

“An act of black magic, satanism, and an old man’s dreams turned into nightmares. And no… I’m not joking.”

She stared at him with disbelief before the young man sniffed, shaking his head

“You want us to believe that magic and uh…”

He looked towards Bendy who was now rolling his head from arm to arm back and forth before speaking again

“... _ demons _ exist? Made by some magic ink machine that did  _ what _ exactly?...”

“Well…”

Turning to look towards the group, Henry smiled a bit

“...I think that’s a story we’ll need to talk to the news about.”

The woman shook her head, looking to him now

“I think this is more of a  _ government _ situation; letting the public get a hold of a story involving real demons and magic… I-If that’s true, it could cause panic, right?”

She flinched as Bendy had come trotting over despite what Henry had told him, the little demon giving her a big toothy smile

“Hey lady, ya think someone as good lookin’ as me would really make everyone freak out?”

The two shared a look again before the young man stared down at Bendy

“That… that’s that demon. From the cartoons. But  _ real? _ Is this some kind of joke?”

Henry sighed, scooping Bendy up into his arms

“For once, not really. That’s exactly what you’re looking at…”

Shawn moved from Wally’s side to gawk at Bendy before laughing and holding out his hands

“Well jus’ lookitcha! The little devil ‘imself in the flesh! He’s jus’ as cute as I imagined!”

Bendy pouted then, giving him a dirty look

“Cute?? I ain’t  _ cute!! _ ”

Shawn and Wally both snickered before the young man sighed and turned to Henry

“We’re going to have to… take you folks in to uh. Talk to someone about this… machine, I think.”

“So long as you don’t separate anyone, and we’re not in trouble.”

“Right- I mean, besides trespassing on toxic land, I don’t know what to call this”

Both of the strangers looked even more unsure upon catching sight of Inky, who to them must’ve looked like something out of a nightmare. Slowly, Wally leaned next to them

“Yer gonna need a lot more than one ol’ car to carry ‘em”

Bendy snorts, grinning again

“Yeah, an’ a good detective”

Henry rolled his eyes; it seemed they were going to at least get the ‘connecting to the outside’ part out of the way first. Whatever came next, he could only hope it would be a smooth enough transition. Turning back once more to look upon the gathered crowd of their friends and everyone else that had escaped the machine, he felt the familiar warmth once again that held a promise; one that things would be better now. 

Finally, they had their new beginning that would officially put their old story to rest.

At least, that’s what Henry hoped for.


	67. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After having broken free from the machine, Henry recounts the changes to their new home and their lives- everyone's 'happy ever after' of their own. Though years have passed, a few questions remain; whether they'll be answered or not however is something Henry will take some time to address, his friends, and the studio employees deserve a long rest before action calls them forth again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: none, 3 drawings this update for chapter 67!
> 
> Happy second to last update everyone! As of last update I revealed a canon cross-over chapter to come featuring my AU mixing with my friend Corruptimle's AU Team Silly Vision, and an art giveaway for those who read and enjoyed my fic! Currently that give away as of today (July 20 2020) is live until the 24th! If you want to participate in the giveaway you'll need a twitter and have to carefully read/follow the rules on how to enter! You can check out the giveaway here: https://twitter.com/RobBBlunder/status/1282786064277680133?s=20
> 
> The last update with the cross-over chapter may be delayed and not posted by next Monday because it's a very large endeavor and worth several chapters of writing! Please be patient for when it drops; thank you!

* * *

Years had passed since they’d finally escaped the machine, and life had started moving very fast for them compared to the slow repetition of their old purgatory.

Having talked to investigations and cover up officials, they had decided to keep their story from the open public- a move Henry was actually thankful for because it granted them the privacy and peace he’d desperately wanted after the events of the machine. Since then they’d completely built around and sealed in the old studio making it nigh impossible for even them to get in anymore. Frankly however, Henry had no intention of ever setting foot inside of it again. Ever.

Now though? Now, they had their own private part of the world.

What had been a broken run-down town they’d once known was since rebuilt upon with the wonders of new technology, but with plenty of style and homage to the era they’d lived in previously. Stores, restaurants, and plenty of homes had been made for the population of ink citizens now happily living in it. Most had opted to keep closer to the inner town, living with one another and spending days as a happy community doing as they pleased for the most part.

Despite it being private however, it was far from secluded from the outside- in fact, they often sold commodities and traded services (though with careful inspection to avoid mercury contamination). As a result, things came in and out of their town including ink people, but never outside people; they’d have to leave to see them but it was still an option some had taken permanently.

As for their friends, they’d all finally been given a chance to realize their own dreams- it was something Henry was proud to witness.

Susie finally got the dream career she’d always wanted as someone famous for her acting and singing. Despite being made of ink, she’d managed to have a substantial influence on media both inside and outside their town selling music and travelling when she felt like it. Her butcher crew could only join her in secret, or had to stay behind- but they didn’t seem to mind. After all, they’d found their own dreams too.

Charley and Barley had ended up together when the piper had found the fisher finally reciprocated his very loud (but genuine) affection for him. Now, Charley was a comedian and woodshop worker- an interesting double career he liked to combine sometimes. Barley on the other hand joined the new version of Gent run by Tom, who was the head of the engineering company for their town. He had his happy quiet work, and his loud affectionate boyfriend otherwise.

Edgar, meanwhile, was something of a rule keeper in a sense… but not exactly in the oppressive way the police would be. Instead, he’d organized many other strikers and taught them to use grappling hooks like him and, perhaps somewhat unfortunately, sword fighting too. They acted as the defense group for the town, cleaning up litter as well as anyone doing harm- not that anyone really had much capacity for it anymore after the studio. Crime in their small town was essentially non-existent thanks to their healthy community.

Personally though, Edgar and the other two still lived together in the rather luxurious apartment Susie owned in town whether she was there or not. They found an appreciation of one another’s company, and no desire to return to their once human selves; in fact, Henry recalled Bendy asking Edgar as such, to which the Striker had responded.

Henry had talked to Bendy a bit about the topic, but the demon approached and spoke to him about it himself. Nervously having walked up to the striker, Bendy had said...

“Hey, Ed?... y’know ya don’t gotta stay toons, right? If ya wanted, I’m sure you guys could return back ta normal…”

“Normal? I would hardly call  _ anything _ about our situation ‘normal’... but I suppose I see what you are saying…”

“‘Cause I mean… if ya wanted, ya wouldn’t have ta be some silly ol’ cartoon characters. You could be real people again an’ go be friends with people…”

Henry recalled Edgar smiling at the little demon before turning to him and his voice becoming soft, but sincere

“As far as I am concerned, I already  _ am _ friends with real people- including you. I do not need some human form to be happy… in fact, I quite like the way I am now. No… I think we would all rather stay this way instead. After all; with what we have been through together? I would never abandon you”

Bendy had looked touched and surprised, but very happy; the other two butcher gang members had agreed, only furthering the demon’s thankfulness. Then, the inevitable had finally happened… Edgar told Bendy the truth.

“I-In fact, there is something I have been meaning to tell you Bendy- something I have been thinking about for some time. Call it silly, but… well, despite my origins, I managed to not only fall in love with  _ being _ a toon… I suppose I fell in love  _ with _ one too.”

Unfortunately, everyone’s predictions of Bendy being far too dense to realize it had been true as Bendy had reacted with confusion.

“Wait- really?? Who?? Who’d ya fall in love with!! Oh don’t tell me- was it  _ Charley?! _ HAHAHA-”

The striker had flustered while the piper bursted out laughing before exclaiming

“NO!! NO NO NO- HEAVENS  _ NO! _ I-I fell in love with someone else!... I-I fell in love with… you”

After the confession, Henry had never seen the little demon lose his confidence as fast as he had then. The amount of flustered embarrassment between the two had practically been tangible, as well as Henry’s parental adoration. Fortunately though, not only had Bendy accepted Edgar’s sentiments, he decided to return them too. Henry would never forget the moment- especially when Susie kept gushing about it every time they were near one another.

Besides Susie and her gang, Sammy had also gotten his dream career with his musical talent reaching the recognition it deserved. Now instead of composing music for cartoons, Sammy was a composer, musician, and conductor for his own orchestra that at times held tours and sold out to a rather extensive audience. Finally he was living the luxurious and posh style he’d always wanted,  _ with _ the luxurious posh people he’d aspired to be among. However, one thing never did change with him; he  _ always _ wore his gold music note pin…

...as he’d never gotten over his taste for his not-so-posh cowboy projector-eyed fiance.

Having recovered from his inky form since they’d left the machine, Norman could do two of his favorite things again; chew toothpicks (much to Sammy’s distaste), and kiss his fiance (much to Sammy’s delight). There was a certain special first kiss that soon lead to many dates that Sammy loved gushing about (much like Susie) before they had quickly decided to engage. Though the two seemed to be practical opposites in taste and cleanly habits at times, they meshed well and it made Henry happy to see.

Additionally, though most of the ink citizens lived in town, they among others had built their homes further out in the wildflower fields and taken up farming. Norman had somehow convinced Sammy to be one of those few, as despite Sammy’s love of luxury, he was more than happy to combine it with Norman’s not-so-surprise love for ranching. 

When he wasn’t being a literal cowboy, Norman worked with others making cinema at times, running the cinema at others. Together, he and Sammy had perhaps the loveliest looking farm house inside and out with the most country ranch on the outside.

At first they didn’t exactly have any animals- nobody did, because the mercury situation made it impossible to keep around more than wildlife that somehow survived it. However, when Sammy wasn’t working on music, he’d taken to something else much more interesting that Henry found was perhaps the scariest part of their town- magic.

Henry and perhaps most everyone else had been more than ready to leave behind magic thanks to Joey once they’d left the studio, but Sammy had a deep curiosity and love of the dark arts that had never left him. Fortunately though, it was for much better reasons and purposes- for instance, he and Alice angel both had helped teach medical workers how to fix wounds on their special ink bodies with magic. 

Additionally, Sammy was studying plenty with his new group of followers that didn’t have a religious obsession or cult; it was more like scientists of the magic realm. They were exploring the dimensional rifting with theories and personal accounts witnessed, as well as portals, demons, angels, and other unusual things that seemed to be able to come in contact with their realm. It turned out that the magic of the studio wasn’t isolated, but was rather connected to their entire realm in subtle ways they never noticed until now.

One thing Sammy had discovered was that the ‘hope’ magic Henry possessed in their alternate studio dimension was powered by an almost tangible force of good- something he and Alice angel both shared. The halo he’d earned hadn’t just been coincidence, as he and Sammy learned he could now practice a whole different type of magic all on his own without the threat of Bendy’s soul burning him. Henry was still struggling to understand it, but he’d found he had a lot of his old abilities back among new ones- all foreign but useful.

The only downside to it was that his power wasn’t nearly as strong as it used to be unless he used a dangerous amount of his energy to the point of passing out. He also seemed to be the only one of the former studio employees with such abilities, which they’d pinned on his sharing a soul with an actual demon. Henry couldn’t see himself needing the abilities anytime soon however so it was something to explore slowly and take a bit at a time. On the bright side to it all, he understood how to dim his halo like Alice had suggested so he could sleep.

Sometimes it worried Henry, but he trusted that Sammy not only was responsible with it, but had it under control. Mainly because the first thing Sammy had done with his studies was re-teach Henry some of the things he used to do (just in case someone had to stop him). The second thing? Well, he’d decided to turn a couple bizarre ink-cartoon horses from the old studio’s warehouse into  _ living _ horses for Norman’s ranch. Henry didn’t ask how he got them, nor how he brought them to life, but everyone seemed delighted- especially his fiance who adored them and lovingly deemed them ‘Bacon’ and ‘Beans’.

On the somewhat less exciting side, Wally and Shawn often visited with Grant who had joined them in their home outside of the town; they’d decided to stay elsewhere since the former two had established their lives previously. Grant was more than happy to join them too, balancing Shawn’s finances and having a chance to leave and live happily away from Joey. It turned out he’d been hiding the entire time in corners while the studio was facing wild adventure- he, as Henry figured from his recordings, never liked surprises or action.

Other notable friends of theirs like Jack Fain, Lacie, and Bertrum had gotten jobs in their areas of expertise as well often popping in and out of the town. The last Henry heard, Lacie and Bertrum were planning a big theme park for the next town over that they were all invited to on opening night- and this time, it was going to happen without a hitch.

Meanwhile, Allison and Tom had simply settled into a decent home with a small farm yet massive garden. Allison loved the gardening, while the ample space gave Tom plenty of room for engineering and inventions. Being the head engineer for their town now, he often needed it. Since they’d made their home together they’d gotten married and happily moved in; they were far from alone however. For one, Inky gave them plenty of quiet but pleasant company

Since he’d moved into their countryside home, Inky had continued to grow and change just as Susie had promised. Over time, his limbs came back and he’d regained his horns and body properly- but things were definitely different.

Now, Inky was no longer melty at all- he’d solidified and looked less distorted as he was also no longer emaciated. He’d retained his impressive height however which made him rather tall for how thin he was in a way that still lent to the cartoonish side. Aside from that, his bowtie was no longer crooked, both of his hands were more human with five fingers each but also both gloved, and his right foot was somewhat hoof-like at the toes instead of humanoid. 

His other leg however had never grown back, staying severed at the knee; as a result, Tom had built him a new one similar to the animatronic Bendy’s leg off of Bertrum’s old design. Inky and Tom matched with the prosthetics, which made the Ink demon happy and feel very connected to him.

Perhaps the most interesting things about his changes however included a long, wispy devil tail that was often loosely wrapped around his mechanical leg, and his new face. Under all the ink melting over his face he’d had eyes all along; they were horizontally oblong with pie cuts like the other toons, but with ink drip tear marks that made them look like they were melting all the time (despite being very much solid). And lastly, his permanent grin finally has released from his face and he had a new neutral expression- one that Henry felt suited him better anyways.

Besides physically however, Inky had changed internally as well. He was still rather quiet and shy but much friendlier when he wasn’t secluded to his alone time (which when interrupted made him grouchy). He had found comfort in gardening with Allison, as well as baking with her on occasion. Other times he was happily helping Tom with engineering often moving heavier things with the ink that was still present underground everywhere. It was a peaceful and happy life for him that Henry was glad to see him have now.

Personally, Henry had his own slice of life too- and he’d done the only reasonable thing he figured there  _ was _ to do with it now that he didn’t have physical age or illness to hold him back.

He’d opened his own animation studio.

Unlike Joey however, he had no desire to cut corners and overwork the employees- nor force them to suffer poor finances and little pay. Instead, Henry was training himself with newer technology along with old to create authentic 1930’s-40’s animation again, but with somewhat cleaner and more modern techniques.

Surprisingly, many of the old employees happily asked to be part of it and wanted to work with him- Henry felt it was partially habit, partially the fact that he’d proven himself to them that he wouldn’t be another Joey in the slightest. Even the toons happily wanted to be part of it, doing voice acting and giving inspiration for new shorts.

As for the theme of the studio? Henry figured it was time he take back his rightful ownership and claim to what he’d created- it was a homage to the little devil himself, fittingly named ‘Devil Darling Animation Studios’ or ‘DD Animation’ for short. Their logo consisted of two typography D’s that looked like both the Ink demon and Bendy’s heads, each with their own smile included. 

Naturally, they were bringing the revival of the Bendy cartoons, but with two kinds; one was the usual cutesy style that was more kid friendly, the other was a new horror take exploring adult themes that Henry fully intended to include their experiences in. Of course Bendy wasn’t the only project they’d have anymore, but Henry was more than happy to use it as their startup.

Outside his new studio however, one might question what became of the toons… but the answer was rather sweet and simple.

Allison had personally asked Henry if he’d wanted to stay with her and Tom, as he didn’t have anyone to live with and she knew he didn’t like being on his own- especially after the nightmare studio. Henry hadn’t wanted to impede on their privacy, so they came to a happy compromise for them all; they’d built him a small but comfortable side home by theirs that was a short walk away.

As a result, it felt a lot like a big family living together- they often ate dinner together with all of the original trio toons happily engaging in their shenanigans together, sometimes dragging a reluctant Inky into it. Though Alice angel, Boris, and especially Bendy lived in Henry’s smaller home with him they often mingled with Tom, Allison, and Inky in their strange but pleasant family. Bendy and Inky especially so, as they were now established brothers that would tease and mess with one another. Despite being the ‘big’ brother, Bendy was far from mature in any way and it was a rare day that he and Inky didn’t poke fun at one or the other.

Alice angel meanwhile had started dating Boris to the quiet wolf’s delight as she was the kind and attentive person such an anxious being needed. When she wasn’t working at the hospital, she happily would spend time with Allison and Inky gardening or cooking, or enjoying time with Boris. Boris on the other hand sometimes liked to help Tom too, or ride around in anyone’s car who happened to be going driving.

As for Bendy? Well, Henry rarely found a moment to himself without the little demon by his side anymore.

Bendy was always wanting to do what he did, and never bored of it- he loved hanging out with Henry even if it was just grocery shopping or sleeping. Funny enough, the little demon had gotten a habit of sleeping either on Henry like an intrusive cat or snuggled up under his arm. Sometimes he’d run off to spend time with Edgar or the others, but he’d always come back to Henry in the end which made the old artist smile. Bendy may have seemed clingy to most, but his company was perfect for a lonely old man like him.

Most everything had worked out, and seemed to be going well for them all; Henry felt it was a fitting and appropriate life they all had earned. However… there were still some things left unsolved and unsettled that he figured he should attend to someday. For one, he’d never learned what had happened with Linda or his daughter; was their family line still around? Had they succumbed to the Mercury poisoning? What had happened with them while he was away?

No matter the answer, Henry figured someday he’d try and find either his wife’s grave to properly say goodbye and honor her, or his potential descendants if his daughter had made it out alive.

Though, for now, he was content to live some odd years in peaceful comfort before tackling adventure… but, the call was still there.

After all… the original ink machine was still missing, and someone had to find it someday.

Hopefully, that someone wouldn’t be the wrong hands.


	68. ???

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything seemed to have finally settled down for Henry and the others, but a late night call brings him to attention; something out of place. Upon the discovery of the unnerving evidence of something awry, a doorway to adventure opens up again... quite literally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mild horror
> 
> Notes: Alright everyone, with that there's only one chapter left to go! As mentioned in chapter 67's notes please be patient while me and corrupt work hard to bring you the final-final chapter which will be quite long and full of excitement! Remember to check in on my art giveaway, and I'll hopefully see you all soon for the last hurrah; it may be more than a week so again keep an eye out but don't worry if it seems like it's taking longer than usual

* * *

It was early in the morning, and Henry was deeply asleep along with his little demon son who was happily flopped on top of him. Currently, neither of them were having very eventful sleep, so they were content and quiet.

However, the phone on Henry’s bedside table suddenly rang causing the old artist to groan and rub a hand over his face. Also groaning, Bendy rolled off him and shoved his head under one of the pillows.

Reaching over, Henry took the phone and answered it blearily trying to see the time on his alarm clock

“Hello?...”

“Henry! It’s me- Sammy! There’s something really important I need you to see!”

Sighing, Henry squinted finding it was currently 2:50AM

“Sammy, It’s almost three in the morning… what could you possibly have to show me that couldn’t wait until morning?...”

“It’s the reel- remember? The one you found way back when we escaped the machine that the Ink demon was playing… I’ve been studying it lately, and I found something. Something  _ concerning _ .”

“Can’t you just tell me?...”

“I suppose, but you might not believe me unless you see it… It’s about the very end of the reel. Right as you’re about to leave and get distracted by that rift with your daughter, something happens… It’s subtle, but It’s  _ there _ ”

“What? Like what?”

Henry glanced over to Bendy, who was a very unhappy bean shape buried under pillows and a blanket now trying to block out the conversation

“There’s this- this  _ shadow _ standing there, and it looks almost  _ human _ . I thought it was nothing, but right as you turn back to the exit, I saw it- a  _ face _ . But It’s not just any face, Henry… I think it was  _ Joey _ ”

Eyes snapping open now, Henry suddenly felt all the heavy drowsiness evaporate as cold fear replaced it instead. Sitting up, Henry stared into the darkness feeling his heart starting to beat louder

“You… you don’t seriously think?...”

“I can’t be entirely sure, which is why I called you- I need you to check for me because if it was him… we’ve got a problem. After he somehow knew to look into the ‘camera’ recording of the reel, he turned and followed you the last second as you jumped…”

“...Meaning he could’ve used me to escape after all.”

Popping his head up now, Bendy gave Henry a concerned look as Sammy continued

“Exactly. And if he did, I can guess what he might try to find and turn back on again…”

Swallowing heavily now, Henry shared a look with the little demon

“I’ll be right there. Just give me a few minutes to get up and get dressed…”

“Right. You know where to find me”

Hanging up, Henry put the phone back down before scrambling to get some clothing back on; he often slept in just a thin shirt and his boxers. Watching him, Bendy popped off the bed looking worried

“Henry, what’s goin’ on?? Who could’ve escaped?”

Frowning, Henry sighed and glanced over to him

“Joey. Sammy thinks there’s a chance he used me to escape all those years ago…”

Looking just as scared as him now, Bendy grimaced

“Y-Ya don’t know fer sure though, right??”

“I don’t know… that’s what I’m going to find out. You don’t have to come-”

“I’m comin’! No way am I stayin’ here alone!”

Padding across the floor now, Bendy was quickly pulling on his shoes and bowtie too. Henry had found out a while ago that they hadn’t actually been part of him this whole time; Bendy’s real feet were similar to the Ink demon’s, looking like cartoon cloven hooves.

Shaking his head from the distracting thought however, Henry now grabbed his car keys and pulled on a robe before scooping the little demon into his arms as they left quietly so as not to wake the other two.

Driving down the road now, Henry felt uneasy; it didn’t help that the town was so quiet and empty at night, especially at this hour. He was hoping with every part of his soul, including the bit he gave to Bendy, that it wasn’t true. If Joey had been out this whole time he couldn’t imagine what he’d been up to since then- the only thing he could be sure was that It’d be bad.

Looking to Henry with worry from the passenger seat, Bendy was gripping his seat belt

“Whaddya think’ll happen if it is him?...”

“I don’t know… all I know is if it is, we’ll have to find him. Before that though… we’ll have to find the original ink machine first.”

Swallowing, Bendy looked ahead to the road again

“What would happen if he turned it on?...”

“I still don’t know… but I also don’t  _ want _ to. All I know is if we have to, we’ll do everything we can to stop him.”

Bendy nodded, sitting in silence the rest of the way to Sammy and Norman’s ranch home.

Pulling up to a small parking area, Henry quickly got out with Bendy in his arms again, hurrying around the side of the home to a storm cellar. Kneeling, he knocked gently and waited. After a few moments, it finally swung open with Sammy beckoning him inside holding an electric lantern in one hand

“This way- come…”

Following Sammy down stone steps, they arrived at a storm cellar that doubled as the magic practice and research area. It had various rooms and many stacked shelves with random items and books that pertained to their work. Right now though, Henry was more focused on the small projecting area Sammy had roughly pulled together with a sheet for a screen and an old vintage projector flickering with their reel on it.

Standing on one side of it, Henry watched Sammy start to rewind it from the other; pausing it again, Sammy gestured

“Look- there you can see some kind of a shadow.”

Bendy huffs, squinting at it

“It doesn’t look like anythin’...”

“Not yet. Just watch closely…”

Playing it at a slower speed now, Sammy watched it intently as did Henry and Bendy. With a nervous fear, Henry saw the humanoid shape Sammy had mentioned. Then, it turned around…

Staring into the ‘camera’ somehow, the figure’s face was almost impossible to decipher- but Henry immediately recognized the most important giveaway aspect to their identity.

A pair of unnaturally blue eyes that almost seemed to glow.

Moving closer to the screen, Henry furrowed his brow shaking a little; Bendy frowned, able to feel it in his arms

“Henry?...”

Swallowing, he turned to Sammy

“You’re right… It’s him. I’d recognize the eyes anywhere.”

Looking grave now, Sammy glanced back to the screen

“Look…”

Turning again, Henry watched as Sammy played it again; just as he’d suggested, the shadowy figure of Joey followed Henry, nearly grasping him on the way out. The light of the exit briefly gave just enough of a view that Henry knew for sure now it had been him.

Shaking his head, Henry backed away from the projector feeling slightly dizzy and nauseated. Squeezing Bendy gently, the little demon gave him a worried look. Reaching over, Sammy placed a firm and grounding hand on his shoulder looking him in the eye now

“Henry- deep breaths… we’ll figure this out, okay? If Joey’s out there we’ll find him, and we’ll stop him.”

Taking a deep breath, Henry nodded slowly, but he was unsure; it had been years ago. What if Joey had already beaten them to the old machine? What if he was plotting right now, and they didn’t even know it?

Whatever happened next, he knew one thing for sure…

“We need to find the old machine before he does. Hopefully, it Isn’t too late…”

“We can get the group back together and figure this out as a team. We’ll stop him, because unlike him, we still have souls”

“Right… and unlike him, we still have hope.”

The previous ‘call to adventure’ feeling that had been quietly in the back of his mind was now a cold omen that openly beckoned. There was no denying it... the time had come to dive back into the unknown of darkness, magic, and old ‘friends’.

Only this time, Henry wouldn’t have to do it alone. No repeating studio, axes, ink monsters, and infinite nightmare. No more following someone else’s script.

It was time to pick up the pen and write another story- but this time, He hoped it wouldn’t be made of nightmares.

Strangely enough, something behind him seemed to answer where they’d start…

A crack of light rifting through the air was beginning to spread.


	69. Interdimensional Interaction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Years after Henry and his friends have settled in their new lives outside the inky hell of their old studio, a leftover mystery from Joey Drew opened up to them- literally. Finding that the alternate dimensions Henry had witnessed in the cracks of the alternate studio were real, he winds up in a situation even he was finding hard to believe despite everything they'd seen. Meeting alternate selves and assisting them with their own fight in their world, Henry and his friends discover the oddity of friendship and slightly more can even form from alternate dimensions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: unreality, mild horror, mild violence, amputation mention, mild injury, asynchronous time, allergic reaction(?)
> 
> Notes: Holy cow everyone, it's FINALLY HERE! The final and last installment to my fic finally completing it! I apologize for how long it took but due to life issues on top of my health and working with my friend Corrupt in all this it took WAY longer than I thought it would! Thankfully though it's finally finished and I'm so happy to bring such a fantastically fun ending to my fic I never imagined until now. I want to thank my friend Corrupt for their hard dedicated work in this alongside me the whole way and their contributions- it means so much to me! I also want to thank the fantastic community of my loyal readers/followers who leave my so much support and even have gifted me fan art! You guys are amazing, and I appreciate everything you've done for me. With this chapter, this fic is officially done and I'm happy to say my AU is complete- at least in writing!
> 
> CREDITS: The characters Twisted ink bendy/SillyBendz, Hank, Samuel, alternate norman, and all the other alternate versions belong to @Corruptimles on twitter! They're from their own AU Team SillyVision which you can follow/ask them about on their socials linked to their twitter! They have an amazing story and writing style as well as tons of really lovely art you should check out and support :D
> 
> IF you want to submit fanart: please either @ me on twitter @RobBBlunder, or tumblr at robboyblunder.tumblr.com! You can also do fanart for corrupt and @ them on their twitter @Corruptimles, or their tumblr maulan-reverie.tumblr.com! We love and adore everything we receive!
> 
> And to any future readers who reach this message... thank you for taking the time to enjoy my work! I hope it was as fun for you as it was everyone else while working on this :)!
> 
> Thank you everyone again, I hope you continue to support me and my work long after this is finished!

* * *

Watching as the cracks spread further, Henry could only stare in shock and wonder with Sammy who was gawking next to him. Chuffing in disbelief, Sammy glanced quickly between Henry and the cracks before practically squawking

“HOW?! HOW IS THIS HAPPENING _AGAIN??_ We’re OUTSIDE the studio- it's been YEARS! Why NOW?! What does this _mean-_ ”

As Sammy continued yelling in a panic and throwing books around in his magic studies library, Henry slowly turned to look at a calendar marking the date… It was the same day they’d left the studio all those years ago. What was going on? Why was this happening now? Though he should be panicking and worried, Henry instead had an immense curiosity- one shared by Bendy who was also silently watching as the cracks spread.

With a loud crackling like electricity in the air, the crack finally split open to reveal another world within… One far more twisted than anything Henry had seen in theirs when they’d been inside the studio.

Inside the rift, a whole scene of absolute chaos began unfolding before them in a way that made Henry’s head hurt to look at- it reminded him a lot of the abstract art that had been hanging in the studio back then. 

Everywhere structures of the alternate studio were twisting, turning sideways or upside down, and breaking all manners of laws of physics and rationality. Ink was pouring both down, sideways like the structures, or _upwards_ \- it lacked any clear direction or sense. Not only that, but around all the broken structuring seemed to be a yawning void of empty darkness that he didn’t dare consider what would happen if fallen into.

Perhaps even stranger still however was an ink machine that he both recognized yet didn’t at all as it was wrapped in pulsing vein-like pipes in the shape of an anatomical heart, booming loudly with heartbeat like one too. Currently it was hanging in the center of all the calamity in a chasm that was the apparent center of it all. The sight unnerved him and made his stomach turn a little- Bendy, however, was grinning gleefully in wonder.

“WOW! What the Hell is goin’ on in there?! Looks like a party!”

Making a face at that, Henry couldn’t pull his gaze away to address the demon

“Party? More like a torture chamber…”

Before Henry could take more time to try and even comprehend what he was looking at, Sammy slammed against his side to take a glance before squawking again and stumbling away from it

“NO! Whatever all _that_ is, I want NO part of it!! Henry, make it stop- _please!_ ”

“Stop?? I-I don’t know how, I don’t even-”

That’s when he saw it.

It was almost difficult to comprehend what Henry was looking at, just like the place it was inhabiting. With an ominous well of whispering following it, some form of a terrible and massive inky creature was contorting and pulling itself over the chaotic world inside. It had giant inky twisting limbs, a strange disorientating effect from its silhouette moving faster than its body, and perhaps worst of all it had a giant and horrible face topped with a chaotic toothy grin far worse than their Ink demon’s had ever been on top of a spiraling and dizzying eye that seemed to scan over everything it saw with terrifying scrutiny. 

Feeling like ducking out of sight to avoid being detected, Henry was relieved to find its attention was currently trained on something else- the relief however was quickly dashed when he realized the what was a _who._ What looked a lot like an unfamiliar inky Sammy and a surprisingly different version of Norman were running from the horrible creature as it clambered not unlike a disgusting ink centipede after them.

Scoffing, Bendy sounded like he wasn’t intimidated, but Henry could feel him shaking in his arms a bit

“W-what’s that thing supposed to be, huh? Some kinda caricature of the Ink demon?”

“I don’t know, but what I _do_ know is it's trying to hurt them in there; I- we have to do something-”

Before Henry could move to try and enter the realm, Sammy quickly grabbed and yanked him backwards away from it

“Oh, NO, no no no! You are NOT diving in there with- with whatever that _hell_ beast is to save some random alternate dimension version of us! What if you mess with something and make their dimension unstable like ours was?? Not to mention you might probably die for REAL in there!”

Frowning and trying to pull his arm away, Henry sighed

“I don’t have answers for that, but we can’t just stand here and-”

“YES we can! We’re not getting involved! Leave it, Henry- I don’t need everyone getting on my case because I let you run off into some alternate dimension to save someone else! Honestly, you need to stop and think abou-”

As he began rambling, Henry finally pulled his arm away while turning back to the dimensional rift. Sammy had a point about not diving into danger without a plan, but watching the terrible creature chase those terrified souls… Henry’s heart ached to help them. He _had_ to help.

Before he could be stopped, he lunged forward; Sammy tried to stop him only to grasp the unfortunate little demon in his arms instead. As he stepped through the rift, he could hear Bendy yelling behind him;

“Wh- HEY LEMME GO! HENRY!!-”

Before Henry could turn to say anything back, the portal snapped shut leaving him to stare at a solid wall that had been open just moments before. Ah. That might be a problem upon trying to get back.

Trapped in the twisted alternate dimension, he nervously and slowly gazed upwards at the dizzying stairways and platforms on which he could still see the horrible twisted Ink demon chasing the aforementioned duo. Being inside of the ‘room’ with them (if it could be called that), he could feel the full oppressive effect of just how loud it was- the booming heartbeat was making his chest thump with each pulse and the air felt thicker somehow.

Taking a nervous breath, Henry cautiously made a move to step forward only to immediately find himself on his hands and knees as the gravity around him felt incredibly _off_ . Some force was keeping him on the floor, but at the same time another was trying to pull him _upward_. Crawling slowly, he was making his way to a staircase to try and go… up? The others were higher than him physically and going upside down, so while it was upwards for them was it upwards or downwards for him? Currently the thought was making him confused so he decided to just call it getting ‘closer’.

  
Despite his slow progress in trying to get closer while the others were somehow navigating things much faster and better, Henry had to stop and cling hard to a railing as a force collided with a nearby surface so hard it echoed almost as loud as the heartbeat. Recovering from being jarred, Henry turned his attention upward only to find a massive cartoonishly gloved hand right in front of him blocking the way. Had the creature seen him and tried to attack?

However, as it moved away instead, he realized it had been using that hand as support while the other had slammed a platform in a failed attempt to catch the fleeing duo of the alternate Sammy and Norman. 

What was he thinking coming in here to help? He wasn’t exactly the most talented in agility, nor did he come prepared- in fact, he hadn’t brought _anything_ with him. While he did have his internal ‘hope magic’ he’d been trying to study with Sammy, it wasn’t very useful or strong.

While trying to rack his mind on how he could possibly help with his lack of preparation, Henry’s attention was suddenly pulled away as he saw someone else suddenly vaulting across the massive chasm below him using some kind of...golden ink scythe? 

Watching as the man flew through the air with surprising grace for his old age, he landed on another platform above the one he’d just been on. However, he not-so-gracefully broke his fall by crashing his scythe through some railing. As the stranger gazed up with a confusingly neutral expression, Henry instantly recognized the familiar face- it was the man who he’d seen the first time the dimension rifting had happened.

(Drawing contributed by @Corruptimles on twitter!)

Either the rift uniting them was sheer coincidence, or there was some reason for it- Henry couldn’t tell, but he was sure of one thing; he wanted to help.

Watching now, the strange twisted Ink demon turned away from chasing the alternate Sammy and Norman to glare its fury down upon the old man. With a voice that was as unnervingly unnatural as their own Ink demon’s had been, the twisted creature spoke. Its voice was a strange mixture of what sounded like a layered recording that was rewinding on some levels but also whispery and harsh- yet oddly... familiar. Its voice was like a distorted Joey that had been squeezed and pulled through the machine itself as it called out eerily at the old man…

“ _HENRYYYYYY!_ ”

Feeling a mild panic rise in his own chest as if he’d been the one spotted, Henry wasn’t sure if it was addressing him until he noticed its attention was locked on the old man. Was he calling the old man _Henry?_ Whether it was a coincidence or not, Henry couldn’t tell- right now, however, there were bigger problems. The old man had the demon’s undivided attention, whether it was intentional or not.

Regardless, it was now barreling its way towards the other man with speed that made the already confusing realm more dizzying. On top of that, Henry could hear a high pitched and almost child-like voice trying to shout over the noise but he couldn’t pin where it was coming from.

Finally managing to stand, Henry looked around wildly before witnessing the other Sammy and Norman go through a doorway and wind up on another platform… of course! Somehow it made sense, but the doorways seemed to be connected around the place like a cartoon. Bracing himself, Henry ran through the nearest one only to end up even further from the old man- and instead, directly across from the strange Sammy and Norman.

Staring eye to eye with the shocked expression of the Sammy, both could only stand in surprise; the other Norman was glancing everywhere seemingly unaware as the Sammy shouted at him,

“Who the F$@! are _you?!_ ”

Gawking a bit, Henry wished he could understand how the man had just made that sound with his mouth- perhaps it was a strange perk of this extremely confusing dimension. Before he could really answer, the other Norman was yanking the now disgruntled Sammy away leaving Henry alone once more. Seeing a hand coming to support itself on the nearby platforms, Henry could see why- and now was running himself.

However, he unfortunately tripped over himself only to find he was falling _up_ a staircase towards a new platform. Groaning and laying flat on his back for a moment, Henry struggled to his feet again before turning to a hallway with several many doors. Great. Which one would he take now? He still wanted to try and reach the other old man and learn what was going on to hopefully help, but it was a gamble where they’d take him.

Sighing and stepping towards the doors, Henry was halted in his tracks by a cutout springing forward with a plucking sound not unlike the ones he used to encounter in his version of the studio. This one, however, had a very threatening and unnerving facial expression that resembled the twisted Ink demon currently chasing after the alternate dimensional versions of his friends- additionally with a sign that read ‘Wandering is a Terrible Sin’.

Perhaps Henry would’ve thought more about it had the surprise not startled him so badly he’d punched a hole clean through its face. Standing there stunned momentarily, he quickly pulled his hand back and kicked away the rest of the cutout with a grimace. He really hoped that wouldn’t come back to haunt him.

Running towards the doors now, Henry grasped one at random and flung himself forward onto a new platform- only this time he was now far above the calamity and others. Confused, he glanced around before his eyes stopped on something that made his heart stop- Bendy?!

How had Bendy gotten in here?? Hadn’t Sammy pulled him back before he was able to follow after? What was he doing here- not to mention chasing the horrible creature that was busy trying to attack the others?

As the Bendy pulled out a giant mallet from seemingly nowhere while running with impressive speed, Henry felt confused and furrowed his brow upon noticing he had a tail… this wasn’t his Bendy, was it? 

Watching now as the scary mass of the Ink demon tunneled through some gap sideways yet rose upwards to face the old man like it had burrowed its way over, it loomed menacingly over him. Henry felt immediately worried for the old man, as well as the little one who seemed quite young surprisingly compared to his own- but there was nothing he could do now.

However it seemed the little demon had it under control as he bravely stood his ground against his twisted counterpart. In a swift swing using the momentum from his sprint with a loud cry, the other Bendy lifted his mallet into the air over the creature. Growing even larger, it was soon slamming down upon the Ink demon’s head with such force the entire dimension shook. Losing his balance from it, Henry gasped and promptly fell off the side of the platform he’d been standing on prior, now plummeting towards the vast black void.

Trying to find it in him to yell, Henry was cut off instead as a flash of bright light dazzled his eyes while a rift opened at the last second to spit him out right back into his own world- only he hadn’t lost any of the momentum in the process.

Flying out the other side, the portal snapped shut behind him as Henry slammed into a panicking Sammy who was trying to explain to Norman who he’d brought into the cellar what happened. Both colliding roughly with the floor and groaning, Norman silently gazed down on them before Bendy promptly exclaimed in excitement from next to him;

“Henry!! Yer Back!”

Bouncing over to him, Bendy beamed and clung to him as Henry grunted in pain. Under him, Sammy weakly muttered

“ _Please_ get off of me, you’re crushing me…”

Sitting up and off of him now, Henry rubbed his head as his halo straightened out, bobbing back into place. Making a face, he glanced around before sighing in relief

“Okay… so that _might_ have been a bad idea…”

Sitting up too now, Sammy scoffed loudly

“Might?! _Might?!_ That was the WORST idea you could’ve had! You might’ve never returned- you might’ve DIED! Oh you’re VERY lucky you were brought back! You-”

Norman cut in then, keeping Sammy from ranting any further;

“What he means is we’re relieved yer back. Where in the Hell did ya end up anyways?”

Bouncing in his lap, Bendy looked at him with wide eyes

“YEAH!! Where’d ya go, Henry?! It looked crazy in there!”

“I… I honestly don’t _know_ . It looked like some messed up version of our studio turned into some abstract painting… I saw a completely different version of all of you, _and_ me. It was… weird…”

The others looked quite confused indeed, which was fair considering; knowing there were other versions of yourself was a bit jarring. Sighing, Sammy sulked at him now

“Well either way, that was dangerous and _stupid_. Now we need to figure out how and IF we can even contact that side again, but.. Perhaps preferably in a safer point of time?”

Rubbing the back of his neck, Henry looked to Bendy who was smiling at him before nodding at Sammy;

“Yeah… I think we all need some time to comprehend this… especially _me._ ”

Chuckling, Bendy gave him a cheeky look

“Hurt yer head there old man?”

“Something like that…”

Getting up feeling rather sore and disoriented from what he’d just experienced, Henry sighed

“I think I need a nap. _Then_ we’ll start to tackle this…”

Gawking a bit, Sammy held his hands out to both sides

“That’s it?! We’re just leaving it at that??”

“Well, unless you know how to open another portal to say hello to our alternate dimensional friends, there Isn’t much we _can_ do. I don’t know why this is happening, but I need a break before we tackle it.”

Scoffing, Sammy began moving some stacks of notes that had been knocked over from their collision

“Alright, fine; you go take a break, but I’m going to get started… at least _someone_ needs to try and figure this out…”

Chuckling a bit, Norman crossed his arms before leaning on a shelf and propping up a leg against it

“C’mon Sammy, cut the guy some slack; he just went through Hell an’ back in a few seconds all over again. You’d be winded too!”

Sighing, Sammy turned to Henry

“I know, and I’m sorry, but I’m just… worried.”

Nodding, Henry sighed himself again

“I understand why… it's confusing and concerning, but we’ll figure it out one way or another. Promise.”

Eyeing him, Sammy huffed

“Be careful what you promise, Henry; I’ll hold you to it. Norman can tell you that…”

Holding up his left hand with a ring that glittered in the light of his projector eye, Norman smiled

“Not all of ‘em are bad though…”

Smiling at that, Henry looked to Bendy who was sticking his tongue out at their sappiness. Rolling his eyes, he held the demon close

“C’mon, let’s go home… if I remember correctly, it's still the middle of the night. I’d like some sleep.”

Shrugging, Bendy smiled back

“Who needs sleep? This is way more fun!”

Watching as the demon promptly yawned and stretched however, Henry shook his head

“Yeah, I don’t think so… it's bedtime.”

Leaving the other two to figure out if they’d be going back to sleep themselves, Henry made his way back to his car before sinking into it with Bendy in his arms. Heaving a heavy sigh, he set the demon into the passenger seat

“Just when I thought life would get boring again…”

  * POV Change: ROTW Sammy



Sitting amongst stacks of books now, Sammy sighed feeling rather exhausted- he hadn’t slept much since the night before when Henry had made his little interdimensional trip. He’d spent most of the night trying to find some kind of answers before sleeping uncomfortably with a blanket and pillow brought to the cellar by Norman for him. Now, he was awake again and back at it trying to find something- _anything_ about interdimensional portals…

As he was leafing through perhaps the hundredth book he’d read since, Sammy felt himself growing exhausted yet again and his head was beginning to nod. Perhaps it was a bad idea to try and stay up all night looking for answers, but something told him he was so close…

Nodding a little too hard, Sammy fell onto his side suddenly knocking over several stacks he’d made in the process. Flailing a bit, he cursed loudly before promptly propping himself up with a huff. Brushing his hair that had fallen into his face away, he stared at a page that was half obscured by the mess before him… one very clearly written in a certain former studio-owner’s handwriting that blatantly read ‘Dimensional Doorways’. Of course Joey had known how to do it and wrote it down… Sammy felt quite ridiculous for not thinking to check his personal journal _first_.

Now picking up what was his copy of the ‘Illusion of Living’ with Joey’s personalized notes, he quietly scanned the page before furrowing his brow.

“No… it _can’t_ be _that_ easy- that’s _absurd!_ ”

But as he exclaimed it out loud, he knew it would be; after all, even though the magic they were dealing with was extensive and serious… a lot of it was also toon-related thanks to Bendy. The secret to opening the portals was to literally _open doorways_ using ‘magic words’ like a pass code, then opening said door. Of course it was that ridiculous and simple.

Standing up and dusting himself off, Sammy sighed in irritation before snapping the book open properly in his grasp. Reading over the strange phrase, he slowly repeated it out loud to himself a few times before finally saying it with confidence- promptly, the glowing outline for a doorway in golden light showed up before him. It looked almost like it had been scribbled into the air like a cartoonish drawing, but as he reached out and grasped the door knob, he could feel it solidify in his hand.

Sighing nervously he closed the book in his hand before gritting his teeth and bracing himself to open the door. Throwing it open, it swung quite effortlessly with a flash of light that disoriented him. In the same moment, something suddenly came flying through like a rag doll slamming into Sammy so hard they both flew backwards into yet _another_ pile of book stacks, the door closing again near instantly. Letting out a surprised squawk in the process, Sammy almost yelled had he not been so confused about what had just hit him- literally.

Scrambling and struggling, he pushed whatever had landed on him away before hearing it grunt _back_ at him- it wasn’t a thing, it was a _person_. Blinking repeatedly, Sammy quickly turned to see what looked like a crumpled old man laying in the mess of books and papers. Gasping with an inhale, he quickly got to his feet pointing at him before slapping his hands to his head

  
  


“YOU?!- YOU’RE HIM?? HOW DID YOU-”

Taking a moment to realized he’d accidentally catapulted an _old man_ , Sammy suddenly felt really bad for him

“Oh my GOD I am SO sorry- I-I didn’t mean to- Are you alright??”

Laying face down still, the old man quietly groaned at least letting him know he was alive. Muffled then, he spoke still unmoving in a way that eerily sounded like Henry but older…

“...Sammy?”

Blinking again for a moment, Sammy took a moment to consider the fact he recognized his voice meant the _other_ Sammy might sound similar… he didn’t quite like that.

“I mean… technically, yes, but I might not be who you’re looking for-”

The old man slowly propped himself up to see his surroundings before looking alarmed to see Sammy- which was reasonable considering he’d just launched into a completely unfamiliar world. His face besides widened eyes however was also impressively… blank. It was rather eerie actually, and Sammy wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

As the old man struggled to gain distance between them clearly concerned and distrusting, Sammy sighed and held up his hands slowly 

“Hey now- don’t do anything that might hurt you, okay? Look… this is just as confusing for _me_ as it is for you. Right now, before explaining too much, why don’t we take a deep breath?”

Glancing around the room quietly as if he hadn’t even heard Sammy, the man was staring at random items around the place… particularly those with obvious color. Blinking, Sammy realized his dimension didn’t have any like the one they used to be in- this must have felt like an incredibly realistic dream for the poor guy. Trying to speak again, he carefully took a step closer

“Listen… you’ve just been displaced very badly from where you belong, and I understand if you’re disoriented- but you’re safe here, alright? I can help yo-”

“I think I’m going to pass out.”

“-Wait, what?!-”

Before Sammy could react further, the old man dropped not unlike a pile of bricks collapsing to the floor- so hard he worried that he may have hurt himself in the process. Panicking now, Sammy quickly ran over to help him before calling out loudly;

“NORMAN!! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE AND HELP ME, AN OLD MAN JUST DIED ON THE FLOOR!”

“WHAT?! HENRY???”

“SORT OF?! JUST GET DOWN HERE!”

In a loud scramble from above, Sammy waited for Norman while checking the older Henry in the meantime; he had a pulse and was breathing which was good. However, he wasn’t sure _why_ he’d just passed out- hopefully he hadn’t just given the poor guy a heart attack.

Coming running now, Norman quickly knelt by his side before looking highly confused

“Wait a second- ain’t this?-”

“ _Yes_ , it's him- let’s not worry about that right no-”

“You figured it out!”

“YES but there’s a man dying on the floor- I think?! We need to get him to Henry!”

“Alright, alright; don’t get yer pants pulled in a knot! Get ‘im to the car, we’ll take ‘im over”

Muttering now as he had to carry the old man, Sammy found he was… surprisingly light. Either he was getting stronger or this man was really that small under his sweater. Either way, it made it easy to carry him over his shoulder out of the cellar towards the car.

Behind him, Norman paused to look at what seemed to be a rather important book left behind… Now scooping up the copy of the ‘Illusion of Living’, he knew how important it was to Sammy so he thought he’d bring it.

What he didn’t know was _whose_ copy it was, sporting a certain scratched out name on the cover.

“Norman, are you coming or not?!”

“Yeah, yeah; hold yer horses!”

Sighing at his husband’s ridiculous choice of words, Sammy started the car glancing in the back seat at the old man briefly. Hopefully he’d be alright, and not pass out again when they explained what was happening… hopefully.

  * POV Change: ROTW Henry



Just now getting his morning started, Henry was sitting at his small kitchen table and sipping some coffee carefully while looking at a newspaper that had been brought in kindly by Boris. It seemed things in the world were going quite well comparably, and it was a good time for things to be _less_ eventful… so he thought.

Outside, the sound of a car pulling up made him put down his paper before glancing to Bendy who seemed equally confused while pouring far too much cereal into a bowl. Getting up, Henry headed outside to check who it was; he hadn’t been expecting anyone today…

“HENRY!! HELP OTHER HENRY, I DON’T KNOW IF HE’S DYING AND-”

“Woah, Sammy- calm down! What’s going on?? What do you mean _other_ Henry?”

Approaching with coffee still in hand, Henry was startled to find that the stranger he’d seen in the alternate dimension with a golden scythe was _passed out in Sammy’s car_. As said music director got out, Henry quickly shoved his mug into his hands to open the door and retrieve the poor old man.

“What happened to him??”

Giving him a look over the mug before realizing it was coffee and downing it instead, Sammy held up a finger. Unamused, Henry turned to Norman who shrugged back

“I dunno, I didn’t see it happen”

With a sigh of relief having downed the coffee, Sammy tossed the mug to Norman (who thankfully didn’t drop it- it was a good mug), he flailed his arms in exasperation

“I figured out how to open dimensional doorways and accidentally flung him into our dimension somehow! He seemed fine for a moment, but stood up and passed out! I don’t know what’s happening- did I give him a heart attack?!”

Holding up his hands to try and calm Sammy, Henry sighed

“No, you didn’t- he still has a heartbeat. I think… maybe he was just surprised? Let’s just get him inside to somewhere he can lay down, alright?”

Disappointed at his stolen coffee, Henry now easily lifted the surprisingly light old man before bringing him inside. As soon as Bendy saw him, he gasped and dropped the milk he was pouring over his comically overflowing bowl of cereal (much to both Henry and Alice angel’s distaste). Jumping away from his chair, Bendy scurried over while bouncing with excitement

“Holy smokes, is that the other guy?? When did he get here?? Is he stayin’ over fer a sleepover or somethin’???”

Grimacing, Henry laid the old man on his couch before gently propping his head on a pillow

“Bendy, calm down- he’s here on accident. Right now we just need to make sure he’s alright…”

Being joined by Sammy and Norman now, the four all gazed down over the ink stained man passed out on the couch. Henry really wished he had a proper name for him… but Sammy _did_ say something earlier about ‘other’ Henry. Was… was this old man a version of _himself?_ He did hear the twisted Ink demon call him that too...

“Hey Sammy, when you said ‘other’ Henry…”

“Well, I made an assumption; he recognized me by voice and called me Sammy so I figured maybe that’s who _he_ was supposed to be… also because he sounds like an older version of _you_.”

As Henry furrowed his brow, Bendy snickered before smirking at him

“And I thought _you_ were an old man, huh? Guess someone else finally has ya beat!”

“Bendy, be nice…”

“Hey, he ain’t awake ta hear it!”

As the demon snickered and Sammy tried not to smirk while Norman purposefully did so, Henry sighed

“Alright… let’s let him rest for a bit- when he wakes up maybe we can… try to figure this out or something.”

Snorting again, Bendy shrugged

“That’s gonna go well…”

As the demon walked back into the kitchen to start yelling about Boris stealing his cereal, Alice angel walked in with her hands on her hips frowning

“I do hope he wasn’t hurt! He looks like he’s rather frail…”

Norman snorted then, crossing his arms

“Yeah, ‘cause he’s _old_.”

Giving Norman a look, Henry shook his head

“I’m basically his age you know…”

“Yeah. Old.”

Still giving him the look, Henry gave up on it turning to Alice instead

“Do you think you could check him for injuries?”

Clasping her hands together, she beamed

“Of course!”

Stepping aside for her, Henry turned back to Sammy who looked somewhat disconcerted at the passed out man on the couch.

“He’ll be alright Sammy; it's fine.”

Blinking, he looked up to Henry

“Huh? Well I’d hope so, but I’m more worried about other potential consequences- for one thing, we just pulled an important person from another dimension out! What if that breaks something in their world?? Also, what will it do to _ours,_ having two Henrys? I’m not sure I want to wait and find out…”

“Well we can’t just throw him back- we should at _least_ let him recover, not to mention explain what’s happening. I think he has a right to know…”

Snorting at him and crossing his arms like Norman now, Sammy shook his head

“Well you can be my guest; I don’t want to become the _actual_ cause of his death via shock or something…”

Rolling his eyes now, Henry turned back to see Alice smiling at him

“Great news- he’s fine, just exhausted! A little rest and he should be alright.”

Sighing in relief, all of them seemed to loosen up a bit as Bendy came waddling back into the room with another bowl of cereal

“I figured he would be… with what our own old man’s been through an’ survived, I wouldn’t doubt this one could too!”

Henry wasn’t sure if he should feel offended or touched by that, but he decided to leave it be. Right now he was thinking what felt like a hundred thoughts a minute- Sammy had figured out dimensional travel, Henry had _visited_ another entire dimension alone, and now they had someone who didn’t belong in theirs. It was a lot to take in on top of the possibilities of ‘what ifs’ it raised- for instance, what if this caused instability for both their realms? What if there were infinitely more? What did it all mean?

Pausing to hold his head, Henry shook it a bit; he still sometimes had problems with tangents like those thanks to his experience in the studio. All the years he spent thinking non stop and trying to solve things on a dime meant considering all scenarios- including the worst and picking action fast. Though it was something he no longer had to do, he was still trying to unlearn it.

Moving over a chair to sit by the couch, Henry sighed softly

“I’ll keep a watch on him for now… you guys don’t have to stick around if you don’t want to.”

Rolling his eyes, Sammy leaned on a wall nearby

“I’m not leaving you alone just like that, Henry; this involves me in a way, and I’m not going to abandon this old man just like that..”

Patting Sammy, Norman gave a slight disappointed smile

“Unfortunately I need t’ head back home an’ take care of the animals before I get other stuff sorted fer work… if ya need a ride home ya know how t’ reach me”

Giving a quick kiss, Norman took the keys from Sammy before heading out, leaving the music director to wistfully watch him go. Behind him, Bendy was making a face of distaste while Alice was making one of endearment as she commented;

“That’s so sweet~ I’m so glad you two are happy together!”

Scoffing softly, Sammy smirked but Henry could see genuine smiling under it

“Yeah, I suppose so… _most_ of the time.”

Smiling at him too, Henry shrugged

“Hey, better than your shaky ‘friendship’ with Wally…”

Sammy looked unamused already at the mention of the peppy ex-janitor-now-toymaker and engineer. While they were distracted however, the old man on the couch began to stir quickly bringing back their attention… Turning to face him, Henry calmly began speaking to him

“Hey there; this must be really confusing for you, but I can explain…”

However before he could continue, a bright flash of gold startled them all as the man was suddenly sitting up with an impressively large and glowing scythe in his hands. Stumbling away from him, Henry held up his hands with a grimace as the old man exclaimed;

“What happened- where am I?!”

His voice, as Sammy had mentioned, did in fact sound a lot like his own when he was older… it was somewhat jarring.

“Please, calm down- it's alright, I promise!”

Scuttling forward next to Henry, Bendy held up his hands in fisticuffs (one balancing his now empty bowl of cereal) while sticking his tongue out from his teeth in concentration

“Hey buddy, ya wanna fight ‘im, yer gonna have ta go through ME first!”

Pushing him away, Alice angel quickly ushered the demon out of reach

“Bendy, that’s no way to treat a guest! Leave him be; he’s just startled!”

Now looking quite dumbfounded, the old man seemed to be getting one thing after another thrown at him. Still holding the inky scythe in a defensive pose, he slowly met with Henry’s eyes before asking rather firmly

“Is this a trick? Where’s Joey?”

Blinking for a moment, Henry quickly waved his arms

“Oh- no no no, this Isn’t like that- There’s no Joey here, I promise! This is all very real, you’re just badly misplaced right now…”

“What about Sammy and Norman? Where are they?”

Glancing over at their own Sammy who was grimacing, Henry sighed softly

“Not here. Actually… you kind of accidentally landed in our world- you’re not in your own uh… _dimension_ right now. _This,_ -” 

He said while gesturing at Sammy who was now holding up his hands defensively, 

“-Is Sammy; at least, our Sammy. You’re kind of in another version of your… our? Story?”

With another flash, the scythe in his hands dispelled before he promptly flopped backwards onto the couch. In a panic, Henry waved his arms again

“Wait wait wait- Please don’t pass out! I-”

“I’m thinking.”

“Oh. Uh… right.”

Slowly standing upright again, Henry awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck as Bendy snickered at him

“Nice goin’ Henry…”

Laying there for another moment, the old man slowly blinked before propping himself up to stare at Henry as if studying him. Feeling somewhat more awkward in the silence from it, he promptly stated;

“I’ve seen you before…”

Ah- Henry had almost forgotten the incident somehow in the moment when they’d first came face to face.

“Oh- right! The rifting! You saw me and we both got a bit of a shock there…”

Furrowing his brow somewhat at that, he sounded mystified

“I… I thought that was just an odd dream or hallucination…”

With a sniff of amusement, Henry shook his head

“I don’t blame you for that- I almost didn’t believe it myself, and I was on the worse side of it.”

“So… you’re _me?_ ”

He seemed to be squinting in disbelief, which again was fair- they didn’t exactly look alike in any way.

“Yeah… suppose so, if your name happens to be Henry Stein and you got trapped in a studio with ink, demons, and bacon soup by a man named Joey Drew.”

Funny enough, the old man had groaned at the mention of bacon soup; it was clear they were versions of one another because he felt exactly the same. If he ever tasted it again… well, he really hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

Watching the other man slowly gaze around, Henry could tell something was off; he didn’t seem all too happy, more than just from being displaced. As he spoke, it somewhat confirmed the feeling;

“It's… very beautiful here. Full of color and free of ink…”

Snorting, Bendy shrugged at him

“Maybe on the outside, but it's everywhere under the ground! That’s why only ink people can live here givin’ us our own town all fer us!”

“Ink people- will it make non-ink people sick?”

“Huh? Oh- nah, not anymore. Jus’ don’ drink the water an’ youll be fine! Or uh, eat the dirt but if yer doin’ _that_ I think ya got other problems. Speakin’ of ink though, ya just dripped all over Henry’s couch…”

Blinking at that, the old man quietly looked down before responding

“Oh- I’m sorry. It fades eventually… I think…”

Sighing, Henry shook his head

“Don’t worry about it; if it doesn’t I can clean it later. Right now I was hoping we could discuss what’s going on so you understand what’s happening, and see if we can’t get you back home… that is uh… if you want to.”

Scoffing now, Sammy finally spoke up moving away from the wall

“If I were you I’d _never_ want to go back to whatever weird abstract Hell you were just in- what even _was_ that?! Though you probably _shouldn’t_ stay, it might break things...”

Despite the somewhat harsh words Sammy had spoken, the old man was busy staring at something… Amusingly, Henry realized it was the horns on his head. 

Frowning for a moment, he seemed to be processing before the old man shook his head

“I can’t leave them behind like that- they’re depending on me… I have to go back.” 

Speaking to prevent Sammy from saying anything else, Henry turned to him

“Don’t mind him; he’s always like that… if you’re wondering about our looks I can explain that too, but right now I’m guessing you haven’t had proper food in a _while_ , have you?...”

Looking a bit sheepish now, the old man rubbed the back of his neck before continuing a little hesitantly,

“I... suppose it _would_ be rude of me to deny your hospitality, right?”

Nodding, Henry offered his hand as Alice and Bendy beamed at him, Sammy acting rather aloof about it

“We can talk over some tea and food; how about it? Then we’ll get you back… I understand what you mean by going back for them.”

At that, he caught a glance of Sammy looking down with a sort of solemn understanding and remembrance of what Henry had done for them all. Enough time had passed that they were recovering but it was very much the underlying foundation for their new lives still.

That aside, the old man carefully rose without accepting his hand- which was reasonable considering they were strangers- before awkwardly starting to follow him to the kitchen.

Clearing away what was left of their breakfast mess, Henry set out some food for the old man while he began making tea. Laid out were assorted cookies made by Alice, banana bread Henry liked enjoying with his coffee, and some crackers with cheese in case they wanted something savory.

“Go ahead and help yourself, and don’t worry- we have plenty more so you can eat as much as you like.”

Having followed them in, Bendy snickered

“But maybe leave some fer us, eh? I’m still hungry too!”

As the little demon hopped up on a chair near the old man, he and Henry both were surprised to see that their guest was on the edge of tears practically, golden like the scythe. Frowning, Henry quickly approached but kept enough distance so as not to impose

“Hey- are you alright?... I mean, I know I definitely wasn’t from my time in the studio, but I get it- it's alright. You can take a breather here where it's safe…”

“Sorry, it's just been a lot… uh- thank you, though.”

Moving closer to look over the food now, he seemed to be taking his time to choose while Henry brought over the tea now setting the cups and teapot down carefully. Pouring fresh cups for them, he smiled

“Of course; you’re always welcome here. Please help yourself- honest.”

Sitting down and watching the other Henry put together his tea and select a cookie finally, he found it interesting to witness the first time the man was tasting food outside the studio. For him personally it was sun-warmed strawberries and not fancy tea and cookies, which Henry felt were way nicer; the old man was lucky in that aspect at least.

Said old man was happy to indulge in the food until he noticed Henry watching and seemed to become self-aware, trying to somewhat cover his face and crouch down. Blinking Henry chuckled softly looking into his own tea

“Hey, don’t worry about it; I don’t judge… especially ‘cause I’ve seen _Bendy_ eat.”

The other stared at Bendy’s mouth in particular which was strange- was there something odd about it to him? He remained thoughtfully quiet though so Henry sighed and decided to get to the point…

“Alright, so I’ll sum up what’s going on here for you. In our world here, I was trapped looping in my version of the studio dimension like yours that’s twisted and inky for over thirty years. Me and all my friends had lost our bodies, but our souls recovered and now use ink bodies- thus the sepia and staining. It was a world _inside_ the machine fed by some… weird magic that I still barely understand, but I used it to fight our way out. Once we escaped we destroyed and dismantled it so nobody could use it again, but the true original machine is still missing somewhere out there…”

Taking a moment to sip some tea, he continued;

“Ever since, we’ve been living in our secret town built too look like the time we were used to, only upgraded thanks to modern tech so some things might look… out of place, like the phones and other things. But all that aside, the reason you’re here is because we discovered something wild that our Joey did… dimensional rifting. Apparently there’s almost infinite versions of our story with different variations, and for some reason yours seems to be the most solidly connected. Sorry if that doesn’t make sense...”

Taking a moment to absorb what had been said, the old man was mid-biting another cookie before staring. Finally lowering it, he responded;

“Wow… that’s amazing, and absolutely _terrifying_ . I don’t have a reason not to believe you, but it's… that’s _unreal_.”

Trying not to laugh because it was rather absurd when put in that light, Henry pursed his lips nodding

“Yeah, it uh. It definitely is… But we’re still here and surviving despite it. Again thought, we need to hopefully get you home since we at least know how to _open_ a rift… just… not exactly which one. We’ll get you back though! It might just take a few tries and some time.”

His counterpart seemed to be pondering that as he continued chewing before Henry added on

“We also may be able to help you with your own issues if you need it. First thing’s first though; we haven’t even properly introduced ourselves… As you can probably tell, my name is the same- Henry Stein. This here is Bendy- my Bendy that is- as well as Alice angel, Boris, and Sammy. Everyone here is essentially the same as you, but different looks and maybe personality?..”

Alice and Boris both waved from nearby as Bendy was grinning deviously at him, Sammy still leaning on the wall and keeping a distance. Glancing to the toons, the other Henry looked confused

“Where I’m from we don’t exactly have an Alice and Boris, just transformed employees… Are they really real? As in living cartoons?”

Smiling at that, Henry nodded

“Sure are! They’re from the cartoons themselves, which is a _little_ sad considering their world might’ve been better, but… well, they chose to stay.”

Posing now, Bendy was positively beaming and trying to show off

“Yeah! You guys would get waaay too bored without us anyhow! Who could live without little ol’ me?? Pretty amazin’, right?”

Adjusting his glasses, the older Henry seemed to be studying him before turning back to Henry and finally extending his hand in an open gesture

“Well, I suppose I’m Henry Stein too but uh… if I call you Henry and you call _me_ Henry, there’ll be two Henry’s- but I won’t be called ‘lord’ or ‘savior’ and the such, I always said ‘just call me Henry’, but if there’s two I also _can’t_ go by Henry so…”

Having confused them both a bit, they had furrowed their brows simultaneously before Bendy bursted out laughing

“Well, we can call ya old man one and two! Or big an’ small Henry! Or ink an’ flesh Henry-”

“Just call me Hank.”

Giving a sympathetic smile, Henry grasped his hand finally giving a friendly shake

“Nice to meet you, Hank. We’re likely to run into the same naming issue later, but one thing at a time right?”

Pouting now, Bendy scoffed

“I wanted to call him _flesh Henry_ …”

Making a face, Hank seemed disturbed

“Please, do _not_ …”

Henry wasn’t sure what it was he thought of, but his face said more than enough. Shaking his head at Bendy, he glanced over as Alice happily extended her hand too now

“I’m Alice angel! Oh- but you already knew that since you’re like our Henry who introduced us! It's just very nice to meet you!”

Signing now, Boris nodded in agreement

‘You seem really nice and thankfully not scary like Sammy’

Seeing Hank’s blank confusion at Boris as he cautiously shook Alice’s hand, Henry translated for him;

“He just thinks it's nice you’re not scary like our Sammy.”

Scoffing, Sammy stood up straight now, looking offended

“Scary?! What about me is so-”

Already Boris was hiding behind Alice making Sammy look unamused

“Oh- fine, just forget about all those times I _saved your tail_ , you little…”

As Sammy began muttering, Henry gave a nervous smile before shrugging

“Right… well, now that you’re up to speed we can see about getting you back where you belong. Before you go though, do you want to stock up on anything? Maybe take some supplies or take a minute to rest?...”

At the mention of supplies, Hank seemed to be patting himself over before looking mildly panicked

“My book- where did I-”

Confused, Henry glanced over to Sammy

“Book?...”

Shrugging, Sammy looked equally lost

“I don’t know what book you mean… we landed on top of so many it might’ve gotten mixed up in them.”

“It's really important- it's a copy of the Illusion of Living with Joey’s notes in it on top of my own…”

Looking dumbfounded, Sammy pulled a copy from his vest looking over it

“I have one just like that! In fact I was using it to bring you here on accident and-... this isn’t my copy…”

Looking relieved as Sammy handed it over, both seemed to get awkward as their hands brushed in the moment. Henry couldn’t make sense of it, and Sammy didn’t seem to either; but Hank seemed to be looking at Sammy’s wedding ring. Slowly, Hank seemed to look to Henry as if questioning without actually asking; ‘to whom?’.

Smiling earnestly, he turned to Sammy

“Our Sammy is married to our Norman- he’s at work right now and couldn’t stay, but he was here earlier…”

Crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow, Sammy was looking curious himself now

“Yeah, he was helping me carry you to the car earlier- sort of. You’re awfully light, you know that?...”

Pondering for a moment, Hank quietly responded;

“Sammy and Norman, huh?”

Henry sipped his tea again, looking at the wedding ring too now; it was ridiculously sparkly, which matched Sammy.

“Mm-hm. They’re surprisingly good together despite their differences…”

Snickering again, Bendy leaned forward on the table

“Yeah; one’s a real stuck-up priss with a stick in his-”

“ _Bendy._ ”

“Sorry! Anyways he’s a real priss while his lover-boy is a dirty ol’ southern cowboy! Funniest thing I’ve seen in a while!”

Hank would seem amused at that thought

“Shame I couldn’t meet him then…”

Henry smiled back

“Yeah; he’s full of personality, I’ll tell you that…”

Watching as Hank flipped through the pages of his book to make sure it was still intact, Henry waited patiently as Sammy finally sat down at the table

“I didn’t tamper with it if that’s what you’re thinking… Norman just gave it to me thinking it was mine.”

Having seemingly been satisfied with his check, Hank looked up with a soft sigh and readjusted his glasses. 

“No, just making sure it's all there… Oh, and our studio- the “weird abstract Hell”- it wasn’t always like that; what you saw was actually the machine defending itself because we got too close for comfort to finding Joey.”

Looking curious, the others turned to him to listen more closely; Sammy questioned him first though,

“And what of your Ink demon?... Is he normally like _that_?”

Frowning a little, Hank shook his head a bit

“No, the demon isn’t usually like that at all; this was… new to all of us. And terrifying. Despite how many times I’ve gone through the loop, it found a new way to still scare me. He was especially ticked off this time.”

Henry nodded at that; he understood that feeling too well. Seeming somewhat unsatisfied with the explanation still, Sammy sat down at the table now to continue questioning;

“So your studio and demon went… what, ‘super evil mode’ because you became a threat?”

“Yes. No… Yes? We think we finally figured a way to stop the machine and Joey, but then everything twisted so fast… The machine made the Ink demon more powerful and it twisted all the pathways to confuse us, then cutouts started barring routes and surrounding us when we didn’t move quick enough… It was like it was panicking.”

Henry furrowed his brow at that, rubbing his chin as he pondered that… Their ink machine sounded almost _sentient,_ which was unnerving. To what degree however was another question. Not only that, but it was acting like it was alive in a completely _different_ way too;

“Hank… is your version of the machine alive? It sounds almost like it was fighting you off intentionally, but… indirectly with defense systems. Almost like some kind of immune system? The more danger you impose, the higher defense the it seems to throw at you…”

Looking interested in his description, Hank lowered his teacup he’d just been sipping

“Immune system… What a way to put it…”

Leaning over somewhat, Sammy questioned him again;

“So what’s your studio _supposed_ to be like then, if not that- well whatever weird Hell we saw was?”

“Well, back in 1930 it WAS a normal studio- that’s what it was SUPPOSED to be like… but when I was invited back thirty years later, it was flooded through, devoid of color, and a shifted into a weird labyrinth with rooms that don’t make sense. At least they made more sense than what you just saw though…”

Henry grimaced, feeling rather bad for him; it did look incredibly stressful in that moment. But he was very curious about a detail he’d shared- multiple but varying loops… 

“You said you went through different loops… for me it was the same thing every single time. It actually became _mundane_ for me despite everything, then when I finally got a different loop it broke us free because I’d taken us off track to find answers”

Blinking, Hank shook his head a little

“Oh, no; It was like that for me too, the monotony was there. I actually became numb for a while. Only some of the loops had variations like new rooms, missing rooms and such until recently…”

That was only giving Henry more questions. What was it about their dimensions that was eventually breaking these loops? Was it merely some mysterious fate behind the scenes, or a reason for it? Would all the other worlds end in a similar way or was it coincidence? Thinking too hard on it though threatened to give him a headache...

“-In one loop I apparently delved into dark magic and messed something up, but then it reset and I promptly forgot it.”

Blinking and going blank from surprise at that as Hank was gesturing at his book, Henry had to take a moment to reorganize his thoughts to respond.

“Oh… well uh… I’m glad it didn’t stay that way then. That sounds… terrifying, actually”

Laughing at that, Bendy slapped his knee before grinning at Hank

“Yer a riot, older man! Y’know in our world we delved into weird magic stuff too, but Henry’s was made ‘a cheesy golden hope stuff- ‘s why he has a halo now! He’s got his own magic!”

Holding up his hands, Henry quickly put in;

“Only a little! It's really not that much… I had a lot more before because, uh. Well. This will _probably_ sound crazy but I actually had ‘soul magic’ from Bendy’s demon soul half being combined with mine… I had to split ours apart, as well as Joey and the Ink demon’s half so we could get free. It was… a lot.”

Looking somewhat taken aback, Hank seemed perturbed by the description

“Combined… like, fused?”

Henry nodded with a sigh

“Accidentally, but yeah. We had to use some weird spell technique to rip it apart- it… hurt. I don’t recommend soul binding…”

Perhaps Henry had gone too far as Hank was shaking his head and looking paler than before. Grimacing, Henry held up a hand nervously

“Sorry, sorry- it does sound pretty disturbing, I didn’t mean to bother you”

“It's not that, it's just… the Ink demon- I mean, our Ink demon tried to force me into something like that. Almost had me. He didn’t succeed, but then there was Norman…”

Henry frowned at that, but Sammy seemed particularly unhappy at that thought; it was terrifying to picture. Norman combined with the Ink demon… that would’ve been a whole different kind of Hell. Gingerly, Sammy questioned;

“He’s alright now though, right?... Your Norman that is?”

“As far as we can tell, but he hasn’t really told us otherwise…”

With a slight ‘heh’ to himself, Hank returned to his neutral expression again which made Sammy look somewhat uncomfortable. Bendy thought it was hilarious however, snickering at it. Continuing, Hank spoke again;

“...We had to start a new cycle to save him. Since then it hasn’t seemed to have a lasting effect, and now he and Sammy have been running around to-... I really should be getting back. I’m worried about leaving them without me, especially for this long”

Nodding, Henry stood to collect the dishes looking to Sammy

“Since Norman’s busy, I can drive us over. Alice, Boris, I’ll be back later; you can say goodbye to our guest”

Smiling, both toons happily gave farewells to Hank as Henry grabbed his pair of keys

“Alright; let’s get you going. Hopefully we’re not too late.”

-

On the way to Sammy and Norman’s small farm, Hank seemed deeply interested in their colorful and historically re-created town that reflected the late 1940’s to their comfort, but combined with modern era tech. It was also quite colorful which was something Henry knew must both be dazzling in a good and eye-aching way.

Additionally, he looked confused at the inhabitants who were inky and strange like them but wearing colorful clothing while the others were outright toons. Henry wondered how Hank would react to meeting Edgar if he ever got the chance.

As they pulled up to Sammy’s home however, the time had come to send him home. Henry was almost sad to see their new friend go, but it was where he belonged nonetheless. Getting out of the car, Henry turned before staring at an odd detail he hadn’t noticed before… there was a…

Without hesitation, Bendy blurted quite loudly;

“HEY OLD MAN, WHAT’S WITH THE HAND PRINT ON YER BUTT???”

Sammy started a bit at seeing it himself, trying not to smirk as he pursed his lips. Freezing mid-step, Hank became imobile at the mention- embarrassment or his own surprise, Henry couldn’t tell, but he felt second-hand embarrassed for him.

“Bendy, that’s not nice.”

“What!! He’s got a handprint on his BUTT! How can I _not_ mention it?! Who’s slappin’ an’ old man’s CAKE?”

Henry facepalmed quite audibly at that, Sammy finally failing to hold back a rather loud snort.

“Hank, I am… _so_ sorry- He’s just like this, I didn’t mean to- oh man…”

Sighing, Hank seemed defeated by his body language even though his face remained carefully neutral- it was surprisingly red, however.

“It's alright… our Bendy did the same thing, actually. The handprint, it's… I don’t want you to misunderstand- you see, it was Sammy-”

Waving his hands, Henry grimaced

“No, no- it's fine! You don’t need to explain; promise. Let’s just get you home.”

Sammy, however, was currently making an expression that was almost hard to describe. The closest Henry could get was a sort of wide mouthed gawk of someone who discovered a fairly dirty detail of gossip and was more than ready to share it. He was probably having way too much fun with this.

Waving his arms in futile defense, Hank seemed like he wanted to argue something but slumped in defeat as Henry began heading for the cellar instead. Snickering, Bendy skipped past Hank giving him a devious wink. Still trying to contain himself, Sammy cleared his throat gesturing for Hank to follow him

“This way… I’ll help open the way back for you.”

Finally back in the cellar where Norman had graciously re-organized Sammy’s books, his _actual_ copy of the ‘Illusion of Living’ was waiting for him. Promptly scooping it up, Sammy flipped it open to the proper page before showing it to them

“Here; this is what you use to open dimensional doorways. I suggest you copy this information in case you ever feel a need to use it…”

Nodding in response, Hank opened his copy before finding a fairly empty space in which to write it down along with a note for its use. Near it was a rather charming doodle Henry felt was the handiwork of the other Bendy as it reminded Henry of his own’s drawings.

Once it had been copied, they both seemed satisfied before Sammy stood back

“Alright… let’s hope this time I don’t get someone _else_ launching themself into me. You ready?”

“Sock it to me.”

Looking somewhat baffled at the old slang, Sammy shook his head before reading off the spell. An odd sensation filled the room for a moment before a flash of golden light etched the air like it had before, a door crudely drawn into it. However, there was just one problem…

...it had drawn itself directly under Hank.

In a brief moment of their collective shock, none could react before a creaking door swing broke the silence dropping the poor old man through it like a sack of potatoes. The moment he fell through, Hank loudly swore but it came out as a strange censored grawlix sound effect.

“ _$@#*!_ ”

All of them leaned over the doorway to check after him, Sammy furrowing his brow

“How did he make that sound with his _mouth???_ ”

Sighing, Henry shook his head watching Hank thankfully catch himself with the same golden scythe from earlier to land safely.

“I have _no_ idea…”

Bendy snickered, poking his head over to watch too

“I think it's _amazin’_ ”

As they all watched Hank dive back into the fray, there was a quiet sense of things being right again. However, as Sammy was reaching to close the door again, a cutout with those threatening eyes like before sprang into view with a startling ‘plink’ sound. Flailing and stumbling away, Sammy yelped and kicked it as hard as he could before shutting the door.

Wheezing as the door faded, Sammy turned to Henry

“I seriously _hate_ those things…”

Grimacing, Henry nodded; he noted however the somewhat humorous irony in Sammy saying so.

Hopefully, that cutout was simply curious as they were… if not, it could spell more trouble than they were bargaining for.




After having met Hank, there had been a surprising silence between the two worlds which had made Henry worry, but he also didn’t know exactly what to do in their situation. What if he poked over for a visit at another inopportune time? What if he accidentally imbalanced something on their side that caused instability and cracking issues for them? There were too many possibilities of something going wrong so they’d opted to simply wait.

Whatever was going on in Hank’s dimension, Henry couldn’t help but worry; how many more loops would he be going through he wondered? As he pondered it, he was sitting at an animation desk in his new studio tapping a pencil; though he was the owner and technically didn’t _have_ to work directly on animation, it was a good past-time he enjoyed keeping up on regardless.

Gazing around, he noted how his studio had far more color than the old one as well as proper ventilation, air conditioning, and more that made it _far_ more pleasant. The employees reflected as such with their positive outlook towards their jobs. The best part however was a lack of any deadly ink pipes looming over their heads being noisy and messy. Instead, there was quiet pleasant music lilting from small radios and the white noise of a busy workplace.

Closing his eyes, Henry could almost hear the pipes as if they were still there... In fact, he could hear it a little _too_ well.

Opening his eyes again, Henry was surprised to see a small golden crack in the air near his desk. Leaning in nervously to peer through it, he could just barely make out what looked like the old ink filled studio on the other side full of pipes and machinery. Quickly standing and dropping his pencil, Henry hurried to his office to make a call; on the way however he glanced outside the window to see a few more tiny cracks just floating there.

Feeling incredibly nervous, Henry quickly dialed for Sammy waiting for a response. Listening as the phone rang, a loud slam behind him made him flinch and fumble the phone only to turn and see an exasperated sammy with arms full of books, journals, and paper. Wheezing, Henry held his chest as the frazzled music director dumped his load onto Henry’s desk.

Putting the phone back on its receiver, Henry turned to him with a frown

“I’m guessing you’ve noticed what’s going on and it's not good, then?”

With another wheeze, Sammy held up a finger only to wheeze again. Clearing his throat, he dusted himself off and stood straight before stating rather matter-of-factly;

“It is very, very _not good_.”

“Care to elaborate?”

Picking up a paper now, Sammy furrowed his brow too

“I’ve been studying and taking notes on my studies of the interdimensional stuff, but while trying to understand something with _how_ it works the air cracked before my eyes! Some of the others in my magic studies group noted they were witnessing small ones that seemed to fade, but each one had an eerie common occurrence… the sound of an _ink machine_.”

Henry felt chilled at that, swallowing and sitting on his desk now

“W-What does it mean? Why’s this happening- did we break something??”

Sighing, Sammy shrugged

“It doesn’t seem that way. Things were quiet for months after Hank visited, so this happening all of a sudden wouldn’t entirely make sense if it was our doing. I think it's coming from the _other_ side.”

Looking shocked, Henry sat up more

“Other side?? How? What’s happening?”

“Well Henry, I wish we had more answers, but the most telling thing suggesting as much is the cracks struggling to open- like something is trying to _force_ them. They often re-close soon after however, because whatever’s going on doesn’t seem to have a strong enough force… at least for _now_.”

Flinching as another appeared before them, Henry felt tense as Sammy sighed and peered through it

“They haven’t gotten much bigger than this so I don’t think it's an _immediate_ danger-”

With a flinch, Sammy stumbled away from it. Startled as well, Henry stared in surprise

“What?! What is it??”

“Th-the hole! There’s a _face_ in it!”

Feeling quite on edge now, Henry slowly peered through only to be met with the disturbing eye of a cutout he recognized from the weird abstract Hell Hank’s machine had made. It was chilling enough that it seemed to be peering through at him, but when it moved out of view he flinched and quickly joined Sammy keeping a distance from it. Shaking his head, Henry turned to Sammy

“Okay, _that_ was freaky. I have a really bad feeling about this”

Nodding, Sammy quickly started to shift through his notes and books

“I’ve been trying to find anything I could about this, but Joey’s notes that we _didn’t_ lose say very little about dimensional stuff! All I’ve managed to parse is that there’s some- some kind of _web_ of alternatives from some original copy, and they’re loosely connected for whatever reason… It doesn’t make much sense, but with enough force it seems those lines can be crossed?”

Picking up one of the journals, Henry opened it curiously

“If it's like a web, doesn’t that insinuate some of the other versions are _closer_ than others?”

The crack widened a bit making Henry nervous as Sammy answered over his shoulder

“Exactly, yes; the closer they are the less it takes to reach them… or that’s the theory. From what I can tell, ours is so close to Hanks it’s been breaking through on its own accord at times- so Joey’s notes state from a long time ago.”

“Long time ago?? How long have they been _doing this???_ ”

Turning around and grimacing at the still forming crack, Sammy sighed

“Apparently for some time… Joey experimented with it, but those writings were lost to the studio. Whatever _this_ is though… this isn’t just some accidental crossing; something wants _in._ ”

Turning his attention from Sammy back to the forming hole, Henry’s eyes widened at a cutout staring through at them again. The echoing of a machine from behind it made Henry feel Sammy was more right than he might’ve understood.

“The machine…”

Blinking, Sammy turned to him

“Machine? That’s impossible- we destroyed ours back whe-”

“Not our machine, _theirs_. I remember now- we discussed with Hank that his machine had some form of subconscious sentience, and it was fighting him like it had an immune system… When we sent him back to his dimension, do you remember the cutout that peered through?”

Sammy’s face blanched before he began gathering back up his materials

“I think we gave his machine _ideas_.”

Pursing his lips, Henry didn’t like his reaction- or the fact that the cutout had turned to look _directly at him_ when he’d looked away.

“Is there a way to close these??”

Looking up, Sammy pursed his lips for a moment

“So far, not really; not that I know of at least. This _might_ be a problem…”

“Well, now what do we do?? We can’t just sit around and let our dimensions break each other!”

“If you come up with any ideas, I’m all ears! I don’t know everything, Henry!”

Sighing himself, Henry covered his face with his hands

“You have no idea how much I relate to that… Maybe… Maybe we should try and talk to Hank? Maybe he’ll know more about his machine than us?”

Making a face at the suggestion, Sammy shook his head

“I don’t know about that one; What if opening up the door to their world just _invites_ this thing over like a welcome mat? It seems risky”

“Well I don’t see any _other_ options; Unless maybe Bendy, Alice angel or someone can close them I think we have to-”

“Henry?”

Blinking, he turned to Sammy

“Huh? What is it?”

“Where’s the cutout?”

Turning, Henry stared as it was gone.

“Uh… it… hopefully it went back?”

While they were looking through the crack however, Henry got a creeping chill up his spine that made him turn around. Gasping, he grasped Sammy who flinched and spun on his heel as well to see that the cutout was _in the room with them_.

“Sammy?”

“Yeah?”

“I think it broke through.”

With a heavy rumbling that shook the world like an earthquake in a far too familiar way akin to the old studio, the crack suddenly burst open wide as a huge ink pipe snaked through and plunged through the floor of Henry’s office. Falling over from the calamity, both Henry and Sammy grasped onto one another with a shout before the rumbling settled down.

Quickly sitting up, both could only stare in newfound shock all over again at the pipe that had _burrowed_ its way into their world, now pumping ink to God knows where. Stumbling to his feet, Henry looked around for the cutout but couldn’t see it anywhere; it seemed it had achieved what it wanted.

“Okay… _now_ can we try to contact Hank??”

Slowly nodding with his eyes still wide, Sammy responded;

“Yeah… yeah, we can.”

-

After several many failed attempts to reach the other dimension, Henry was starting to become desperate. All over their world many more cracks had ripped open and spat out pipes that were burrowing through their town. Whatever they were doing, the sheer amount of them was becoming destructive along with the disturbing constant surveillance of the cutouts everywhere.

Sammy was losing sleep more than before through the ordeal as he was trying desperately to find some answer for their problem. Currently, he, Henry, Bendy and some odd others were in the cellar trying once again to open the way through to the other side. Once again however, they failed to get it to open; it seemed something was preventing them from reaching through intentionally which only worried Henry more.

As they lamented over yet another failed attempt, Allison turned to Henry with her hands on her hips

“Maybe we need to take a new approach… instead of trying to force open a _new_ opening, why not try using one that a pipe is already coming through?”

Looking over to her, Henry sighed

“We actually tried that. It didn’t work because as soon as we got close the cutouts started blocking the way, and even if we broke them there was just more to replace them… The machine from their world is smarter than I thought…”

Behind them, Henry could hear the shattering cardboard noise of a cutout being broken followed by Bendy yelling in triumph. He’d been busy assaulting any that came near them, which was amusing for the demon and helpful for the rest of them.

Humming in thought, Allison turned to Tom who was lounging next to Norman, neither of them being quite helpful in the moment. Giving Tom a look, she shook her head

“And I’m guessing neither of you have a better idea considering you’re not doing anything to help?”

Leaning back in his chair some more, Tom sighed

“Nope. I build things, not cast magic spells.”

Norman shrugged, looking towards Sammy who was groaning and slumping over on a pile of books.

“I don’t think even our magic usin’ members know what t’ do…”

Henry was feeling rather helpless with their results; none of them could figure out what to do, and the pipes were becoming more apparent. They _really_ needed _something_ to help- something to give them hope to fix this.

Sitting and thinking, Henry blinked before snatching the book from Sammy who flinched

“Wh- you could’ve just asked, you know!”

“Sorry- I have an idea.”

Skipping over to him, Bendy beamed proudly

“Got ‘em! Also, what’s the bright idea this time, old man?”

Reading over the spell again, Henry responded while staying focused

“We’ve just been reading this thing repeatedly without trying to give it anything else… If the machine from Hank’s dimension is fighting us back so hard, maybe what the spell needs is an extra kick of power to break through its efforts to thwart us. If I remember correctly, the machine blocking us is a sign we’re on the right track- we just need to push back harder.”

Sitting up from his pile, Sammy gave him a look

“Are you saying that the solution this whole time was to just try _harder?_ Because that sounds redundant.”

Shaking his head, Henry turned to him and the others

“What I’m saying is that we need to really punch back- both with a distraction _and_ a boost of power.”

Allison crossed her arms, smirking at him now

“Sounds to me like you have a plan just like the old days…”

Henry gave a shrug, smiling a little himself

“I might. Here’s the idea… getting help from the others in town, we’ll have a bunch of groups start trying to push through the cracks surrounding the pipes. While the machine is distracted trying to redirect its resources to fighting on that front, our magic-using group will use the spell with as much force as we have. With any luck we’ll be able to weaken the alternate machine’s power over the doorway to break through.”

Letting his chair fall back to an upright position with a clack, Tom crossed his arms too now while eyeing Henry

“So, we throw an assault forward to distract the thing, then you guys zap it with a spell? Sounds ridiculous out loud but I think it might just work…”

Norman snorted, shrugging

“Better than anythin’ else we’ve come up with so far… let’s go fer it.”

Getting a general consensus agreeing with his plan, Henry sighed but smiled

“Alright. I’m going to need Sammy, Alice angel, Bendy and I here for the spell. Everyone else needs to head out and gather up groups to coordinate the attack on the portals. Have Barely hook everyone up with hand radios so we can keep in touch.”

Bouncing now, Bendy jumped up onto Henry

“Oh, do we get to see Ed?”

“Briefly, but I need you to help open the doorway”

“Awww man…”

Pouting, he slumped on Henry who rolled his eyes

“You see him like, every day Bendy…”

“Still!”

Sighing and rolling his eyes one more time he smiled while turning to the rest

“Let’s get this started. Hopefully when I get through we can get ourselves an answer…”

-

Having gotten the hand radios assigned to each group, They were preparing for their attack; currently Henry had them all hiding at the ready to attack. If the cutouts saw them grouping up they’d likely suspect something was up, so they had to bide their time until the right moment came.

Right now Henry was back at his own home making final preparations to gear himself up to face the other dimension; he wasn’t going in without tools this time. Reaching for his rope, Henry paused having thought he saw something creeping from the corner of his eye…

Turning fast as he could, Henry suddenly saw something that startled him and was hard to believe despite everything- A little Bendy toy was standing in a mid-step pose holding up his special ink sword they’d recovered after Bendy shattered it. It was yellowed with stitching over its face and crooked smile, similar to the ones he’d used to see in their heavenly toys. The only difference was this one was _alive_.

“Hey- you! What do you think you’re doing?!”

Flinching in surprise, the little toy doll suddenly took off making a run for it. Only able to gawk as it got further away with a squeak in each step, Henry finally snapped out of it long enough to chase after.

“Hey- STOP! Someone get the toy- it's stealing the sword!”

Confused from the kitchen, Bendy poked his head in before gawking like Henry had

“GAH! The machine’s sendin’ in more minions fer its biddin’!!”

Now joining Henry in scrambling after the toy version of himself, Bendy slid and lunged for it. In an instant however it had jumped at the last second, comically bouncing off his head with a loud squeak. Frustrated, Bendy quickly got back up to continue chasing

“NOT FUNNY YA LITTLE THIEF!”

Henry could almost swear he heard it squeak-laughing at them as it made its way outside and was now bolting for one of the pipe-portals.

“Don’t let that thing get away!!”

Pulling ink from the ground, Bendy tried using it to catch up to the toy who looked behind itself and squeaked in surprise. Extending his hands out to grasp it, Bendy looked gleeful

“Gotcha NOW ya little PUNK-”

At the last second, a cut out had popped up and slammed into Bendy on accident allowing the toy to make its escape back into the pipe’s crack. Groaning, Henry slowed down dragging his hands over his face

“Great… that- that _thing_ just stole my sword for whatever reason. I’ve got a bad feeling about this… if that toy _was_ working for the machine, I can only imagine what it’ll be used for…”

Pouting and shaking ink off himself, Bendy sulked over to Henry

“If I ever see that thing again I’ll tear it ta tiny pieces…”

Sighing, Henry shook his head

  
“That’s not the most important thing we have going on right now though. We’ll get to it when we do- let’s just focus on the task at hand.”

Nodding, Bendy hopped up onto Henry’s back now peering over his shoulder; he’d gotten quite adept at doing so as it was a common habit he’d developed. Heading for his car, Henry began his drive over to Sammy’s house again where they were preparing to use the spell again. Hopefully this time it’d _work_ because as they drove by he could see many, many ink pipes breaking through into their world… something he was sure would become an issue for all of their world and not just their town.

Arriving back at the cellar, he was greeted by the sight of a space cleared out to give extra room for them to stand and work in. Approaching Sammy now, Henry nodded

“Alright… I’m ready. We’ll give the go-ahead order then work fast as we can once the machine is distracted enough.”

Nodding back at him, Sammy brushed his still frazzled mess of hair out of his face

“This _better_ work because if we don’t fix this soon I’m going to _lose it_ and start breaking that machine by hand myself!”

Giving a nervous smile, Henry held up a hand

“Let’s… hope it doesn’t come to that. Alright; let’s give the word.”

Holding up the hand radio, he gave the signal; now, they could only wait to get one back before trying to push through. Hopefully Hank would be waiting somewhere safe on the other side… Henry really didn’t want to face that giant twisted Ink demon again.

Standing in a lineup now, Bendy, Henry, Sammy, then Alice angel all had the spell on hand when the signal finally came- along with plenty of loud, violent sounding noises in the distance. Henry hoped that it wasn’t their friends getting hurt.

“Alright- now! Give it everything you’ve got!”

Tapping into his power, Henry combined it with the other three as they tried the spell again- this time, he could see the glowing doorway slowly fighting to etch itself into existence. Pushing harder, Henry felt like he was getting a headache before a burst of bright light briefly burned his eyes showing the doorway had fully formed. Not daring to waste any time, Henry scooped up Bendy onto his back as he threw himself forward while calling over his shoulder;

“Remember, Sammy; if I’m not back for a while try and open the way back! It might be us getting stuck!”

“Good luck Henry! And for the _love_ of everything- stop that _damned machine!_ ”

Giving a small wave of acknowledgement, Henry turned forward as the doorway quickly sealed again behind him. Before them, they were back in the familiar sepia-toned ink stained halls he knew too well, but they weren’t the same- in fact, their layout wasn’t one he recognized at all. It was unnerving and a bit gut-wrenching being back in such a place, but it wasn’t permanent; he just had to keep reminding himself as much.

“Alright… let’s see if we can find our friend”

-

Having traversed what felt like a good portion of the labyrinth making up the alternate studio, Henry felt like they’d seen more than enough in the amount of time they’d already been there. They’d had to tip toe over gaps in the floor with single planks stretched across, run from herds of searchers that didn’t seem to have intent on being friendly, been sprayed with ink from leaking pipes, and even gotten jump-scared by cutouts that Henry gladly smashed with the handy fire-axe he’d brought with them.

Aside from their adventuring, they kept hearing ominous creaking as if the studio was unstable and threatening to break while random portions of it looked like they were physically warping back into place. He wasn’t sure what it meant, but he felt they had to find Hank before long.

Turning what felt like the millionth corner in the studio, Henry could see an ominous inky figure hunched over and dripping in a creepy stance. Additionally, it had a tail sticking out from behind it- whatever it was, Henry was concerned because from their distance it looked a lot like what might be an Ink demon. Pulling his axe close and Bendy hugging tight to him, the two cautiously peered down the hall trying to figure it out.

On the one hand, Henry couldn’t hear any kind of heartbeat or see shadows- but perhaps it could be a trick, or their demon didn’t have the same features? He’d have to risk something…

“Hey! Are… are you alright?”

He’d called loudly enough that whatever was at the end of the hall had clearly heard him and flinched. As it turned, Henry could make out a more humanoid shape; it definitely wasn’t the Ink demon.

Hurrying down the hall as fast as he could towards who surely must’ve been Hank, Henry found himself being stopped in his tracks from a metal dustpan to the face. Wincing and shouting, he stumbled and held it while the Bendy on his back laugh-squawked at him. Helpful.

“Owww- what the Hell was that??”

“Oh NO ya don’t! No more illusions, no more TRICKS! I ain’t playin’ yer games anymore Joey!”

A childish voice was yelling at him; one that wasn’t familiar to him. 

“I’m done bein’ the bigger person, I’m gonna start BITIN’!”

With another metallic whack on Henry’s shin, he yelped before looking down to see a second Bendy with a tail assaulting him with a metal dust pan. Somehow, it was speaking without its mouth opening- a very odd thing to him.

“Hey- what?! Illusion?? I’m not an illusion, I’m _real-_ Ow!!”

Quickly, he grabbed the little secondary demon’s hands giving him a stern look

“Oh NO! it's fightin’ BACK! HENRY!! HENRYYY!!!”

Finally having sludged his way over, the ink covered shape that turned out to indeed be Hank made its way over. Wiping his face off and shaking himself, Hank looked surprised to see them- just as much as Henry did to see he was under all that ink. He coughed rather wetly before asking in a tone of almost disbelief, 

“Other Henry?”

Blankly staring at Hank for a moment, the Bendy with a tail gasped and dropped the dust pan to shake the old man

“Whaddya mean ‘other’ Henry?! Have ya lost it again, old man?! Oh NO! Quick- what year is it?? Wait- don’t answer that, I don’t know either!”

As Hank was rattled around by the other Bendy, Henry sighed and stood up straight

“Sorry for the intrusion, but we have a major problem- one involving _your_ ink machine and my dimension.”

Blinking, Hank leaned forward while asking;

“What happened to your dimension?”

Practically squawking, the little Bendy pulled on the old man

“DIMENSION?!”

Sighing, Henry nodded

“Dimension. Your ink machine- it started _breaking through_ . We don’t know how, but suddenly there were cutouts scouting out our side before the pipes started breaking through… It shouldn’t be possible, but your machine is ripping a bunch of dimensional rifts into ours to… I don’t actually know _what_ it's doing, but its pipes are breaking a lot of things and the cutouts are harassing us. I have a bad feeling your machine has some kind of idea for us”

Looking deflated, Hank sighed as he was still being shaken by his Bendy

“I thought that once Joey was gone the machine would simply shut off, but instead it seems to be panicking and reacting poorly. I apologize- that wasn’t the intention at all…”

“It's not your fault; I don’t think anyone’s really in control of this right now, I think it really _is_ just your machine’s whim at this point. We really need to figure out how to stop it though- it could end up breaking _both_ our dimensions if we don’t.”

From Henry’s back, Bendy leaned over to look at the other Bendy and snorted

“I think this guy’s gonna break the old-old man first if he doesn’t stop shakin’ ‘im!”

Pausing, the smaller Bendy stared in surprise before pointing at his Bendy and shouting

“AAAAA?”

Henry looked to Hank, quirking an eyebrow

“I’m guessing you didn’t tell anyone about your alternate-dimensional visit?...”

“I uh, didn’t really have time. As soon as I got back I was thrown back into the fray… a.. Lot happened.”

While speaking, something flicked from behind him- the tail Henry had seen earlier and somehow forgotten in the moment. Slowly, Hank followed his gaze only to look confused

“What’re you looking at?”

“Your tail… is that new?”

“My what?”

Turning to look, he didn’t seem to be able to see it. There was nothing there. 

Snorting, Bendy leaned over Henry’s shoulder

“It's right- hey, where’d it go?? Aw man, ya might be gettin’ juked by toon humor! Hahaha!”

Hank looked somewhat confused, questioning;

“Do you mean my Bendy’s tail? He just suddenly had one so it surprised me too. I noticed yours doesn’t, Henry.”

Blinking, Henry rubbed his chin with curiosity

“Well, considering he never did in the cartoon version- at least in our dimension- I suppose he just… doesn’t have one. I wonder why yours does?...”

Shaking his head, Henry sighed and continued;

“That aside, we should probably find someplace we can talk. I want to see if we can figure out _something_ because everyone on my side is depending on me to get help.”

Heaving a cough and spitting out some ink, Hank made a face- Henry did too because he knew the feeling.

“Right.”

-

Having found a safer place to talk, Hank had cleared more ink off himself while Henry had explained to the other Bendy what was going on. Perhaps the most confusing part was having to figure out what to call one another since there was bound to be more incidents of the same person meeting themself. For the moment they’d settled on calling Hank’s Bendy “Little Bendy” and Henry’s just Bendy- at least to help avoid confusion between them.

Currently, Little Bendy was being chased around by Bendy who was trying to grab his tail…

“Awww GIMME IT! I ain’t gonna bite it! Again!”

“Waaaaaaah stay back!! Don’t trust anybody, not even YERSELF!”

Henry shook his head before turning to Hank, noticing his returned tail was waving around while he was thinking. They were trying to figure out how to move forward to solve the whole machine problem, which was difficult since there was no clear answer to how it even worked in the first place- the same issue Henry had had with his own.

“What happened with the rest of your friends? Maybe they can help us figure things out? If we group up, I can help you guys with whatever needs to get done to set you on the right path to stopping your machine.”

“Well, Allison and Tom had been going around gathering employees before we all beat feet to the machine… We haven’t seen Sammy or Norman since they were busy distracting the Ink demon, but they should be alright- the demon Isn’t here anymore.”

He looked downward while saying as such, prompting Henry to furrow his brow at him

“Ah… I see. What about your Joey?”

“Oh, he’s not here either.”

Once more he pointedly looked downward prompting Henry to purse his lips. Behind them, Little Bendy proudly exclaimed in the middle of running from Bendy;

“We sent them to HELL!”

Taking a moment to stare and process that, Henry nodded

“Alright. Well, that’s interesting… I’m confused about something though; if your studio Isn’t a literal alternate dimension and you’re just inside, how come you haven’t simply left? For us, we were trapped magically and literally _inside_ our machine- all the way to the last moment while the real studio had shut down and collected dust.”

Hank frowned, looking him in the eye from his thinking

“The Ink machine. Almost none of the walls and floor are from the original studio. It kept replacing pieces and leaked its way into every nook and cranny... It altered the ways out so we couldn’t escape. Of course the worst thing it did was turn the exit door into a _drawing_ of one…”

Chuckling, Little Bendy called over;

“The old man ran right into it!”

Hank seemed none too pleased about it, but Henry was holding back a laugh.

“I see; that makes sense. So I’m guessing it's still keeping you trapped like a labyrinth then?”

“Like it always has been, yeah.”

Henry quietly watched the two demons playing around like kids (which Bendy was surprisingly adept at despite being 30), Little Bendy pulling out a mallet making Bendy yelp and run from him now. Bendy was yelling about not being a whack-a-mole before getting comedically flattened and popping back up to keep running.

The silliness he was witnessing aside, he was worried; what was going to happen between their worlds if they didn’t succeed? He could only hope they’d figure something out in time.

“So, maybe the first step is getting your team organized… then finding a better plan of action together? Since I’m not from here I don’t exactly have enough bearing on the situation to help you form a plan, but your other friends should be able to.”

He turned to Hank who was also watching the demons play

“I should get back to them anyways to make sure they’re alright and in one piece”

Henry nodded, getting up

“Alright; then we don’t have any reason to wait around, let’s go find them. Bendy!”

Over by Little Bendy, Bendy was leaning in close to him

“Go on other Bendy… Say it. Say the word I showed you”

“F..f-f...DUCK!”

Making a face, Bendy sneered

“Aw c’mon, don’t be a weenie! Just say it- it's funny!”

“F...f…. f@#!”

Silently staring at Little Bendy, Bendy paused for a moment before bursting out laughing as Little Bendy looked bewildered at his own mouth

“Aah! I don’t wanna say any more bad words! Shawn says them too much already!”

Sighing, Henry cuts in picking up Bendy

“Alright, that’s enough of that! Don’t do that.”

“Aww I was just havin’ some fun!”

“You can ‘have fun’ later; besides, I don’t think Hank wants you tricking his Bendy into swearing.”

“Awwwww….”

Putting Bendy on his back now, Henry turned to Hank

“Ready when you are. Let’s find your friends”

With a nod back, Hank picked up his own little demon and turned to the halls to begin their journey in hopefully finding the others

-

Slowly but surely, they’d made their way around the studio and collected the rest of Hank’s friends to figure out what the next step was. It was somewhat easier considering the studio wasn’t as warped and going a hundred different directions like it had been when Henry first saw it. However, upon actually getting them together finally Henry had to deal with the fact none of them had met him before- they were just meeting him for the first time so awkward introductions were in order.

At first, they assumed he was only another employee… that is until they noticed a few things; Henry still had the horns and halo, and was still somewhat inky and sepia toned. The only thing on him with color currently were his eyes as he’d put on his old clothing knowing he’d be getting inky again.

After realizing as such, Hank and he explained the alternate dimension and who he really was- as well as his own Bendy. The reactions were mixed to say the least, but there was a general acceptance with all the absurdity they’d previously been through. However, a few seemed somewhat off-put by the whole ‘alternate dimension’ thing and thus were a bit wary of him, but the main group was at least alright with his presence.

Now sitting somewhere out of the way, a sideroom to a sort of theatre area, Henry laid it out clear to them;

“Alright, so here’s the deal… your dimension is actively forcing itself into mine because of your ink machine- it's somehow become hostile and is trying to break its way into my world. From what’s been happening here, I can only assume it has intentions of escaping if you plan on shutting it off. We need to figure out how to do so though and finish it off _before_ it can escape- if it does, it could spell out certain doom for _both_ our worlds.”

After explaining the situation, Henry was met with some awkward stares. Confused and a little self-conscious, he nervously stood up straighter

“Is… is something wrong? I know it's a lot to take in but...”

The alternate Sammy sighed and leaned forward, his hair partially slipping out of its hold to fall into his face

“it's your voice. You sound like… well, you sound just like our Henry- only younger, and… you talk a lot more than him. It's… strange.”

Blinking at that, Henry realized they were right; it must seem fairly awkward to hear two of the near same voice in the same place. In fact, now that he thought about it, it was highly strange hearing familiar voices he knew from people he didn’t.

“I… guess you’re right about that; but hopefully we can set that aside for now to focus on the task at hand?”

Shrugging, Sammy seemed indifferent at his suggestion. Sighing, Henry looked to Hank who didn’t seem to really know what to do or say much either. Sitting back down, Henry noted the differences in the group around him…

The alternate Sammy looked much grouchier like he was always eating a lemon, and he seemed older too. Very worn down and tired, perhaps ready to drop at any moment. Currently because they’d recovered from being ink, he was wearing Hank’s cardigan due to a lack of a shirt. Henry wondered if there was something going on with them remembering the handprint from earlier… but he still wasn’t going to ask.

The alternate Norman was actually as friendly looking as theirs- perhaps older however, and wearing glasses with his hair tied back. He had dreadlocks and dark skin as well as an unfortunate lack of one of his legs that hadn’t recovered when they’d turned human again. Apparently it had to be removed, which Henry winced at the thought- but he seemed content enough despite it.

Finally, aside from Hank there was Allison and Tom who looked like a good elderly couple who were ready for this to be over. Allison had medium bobbed hair and a kind smile while Tom had his iconic grouchy look as always, and a mechanic work suit that was drenched in ink.

All of them looked completely different from the ones he knew, yet their voices stayed the same; that was the eerie part of it all, but it made him feel somewhat less out of place at the same time.

That aside, Henry forced his thoughts back on task; what was powering the machine?

“So, here’s what I’m wondering… what powers your guys’ machine? Mine was powered by a powerful demon soul fragment, but I don’t think that really uh… applies here. Do any of you have ideas?”

Tom snorted, shaking his head

“It ain’t powered on just electricity, that much can be said…”

Henry nodded at that, wondering in silence for a moment before Sammy sat up straighter attempting (and failing) to brush the hair out of his face.

“Well, maybe we can look at it from a different angle; if we look at how the machine was turned on, perhaps we can reverse it somehow to shut it back off. If I recall correctly, there were objects needed to turn it on back on that first floor-” 

He looked to Hank briefly at that before continuing, 

“-but for some reason, the objects were gone this time and the machine was already on.”

Henry put a hand on his chin in thought

“That sounds troubling… What happened to them? And how was it already on?...”

From his back, Bendy snorted

“Maybe the machine got tired ‘a showin’ ya guys how an’ skipped the formal introduction?”

The others seemed to ponder that as Hank spoke up;

“That’s what I figured happened. The machine didn’t feel the need for it this time.”

Henry wondered about that; just how sentient was this machine from their dimension? It was acting on its own accord in many different ways, but did it really _think?_ The things it had pulled seemed to show a form of intelligence, but Henry wondered if it was something leftover from someone else… perhaps the ones who made the machine, or their Joey who was apparently in Hell now.

Bouncing somewhat excitedly, Little Bendy piped up from next to Sammy;

“Well, if the pieces are missin’, why don’t we go get ‘em to shut it back down? It's like a scavenger hunt!”

Henry couldn’t help but smile at how cute he found the child-like manner of this Bendy- something he wished his own shared more than snark and mischief. However, watching the Little Bendy’s tail slap against Sammy relentlessly, he wondered if this demon had mischievous tendencies too…

With a louder resounding slap, the Little Bendy shrugged and exclaimed

“Oops!”

Eye twitching, Sammy slowly looked down at him

“You’ve said ‘oops’ for the _past ten times._ ”

Shrugging again, he simply grinned before scrambling quickly to Norman to hide from Sammy’s glare. Henry had to admit… this Sammy _was_ kind of scary. Funny enough though, anytime Sammy looked at the alternate Norman he quickly looked away with something Henry almost felt was shame. It made him curious, but he didn’t want to ask.

“Alright; so, I suppose the next step then would be gathering up the missing pieces? Maybe if you reset them where they belong and flip the switch you can shut this thing down again. I’m going to warn you now though… from what bits I’ve witnessed, I have a feeling it's going to be far from simple.”

Sighing heavily, Hank crossed his arms

“It _never_ is…”

Henry nodded in agreement feeling that deep in his soul. It was never easy even in his current life after the studio- some things never changed. Work was work, and tricky things stayed tricky.

Getting up, Henry gave them a look of determination however

“Either way, before I leave I want to help you at least where I can; we’ll map out possible locations for the pieces you need.”

Looking curious, Norman leaned forward a little

“An’ how d’you plan on doin’ that if ya haven’t even been here that long?”

Smiling, Henry looked to Bendy who winked back

“Well, with magic.”

He said it rather matter-of-factly because it was something he’d grown used to- the confused faces he was met with showed the others might not be as used to it. In fact, Sammy looked downright disgruntled by it

“Oh no… no no no- what _kind?_ And is this really a _good idea?_ ”

Amused, Henry was still smiling

“It Isn’t a bad one- that much I can tell you. If It’ll work or not is another question, but my magic doesn’t run on anything dark at least. This… probably sounds super _cheesy_ , but it runs on something else entirely…”

Making a bit of a face himself now, Henry wasn’t sure if he wanted to really say it- so Bendy decided to blurt it for him

“Henry’s runs on hope! It's all golden an’ glowy an’ stuff!”

Allison clapped her hands together, beaming. 

“That sounds lovely!” 

Sammy seemed to twist his face a bit in confusion

“Our Henry does something like that too… right?”

He looked to Hank who held up his arm which formed some kind of golden ink vein on it

“I’m not sure if it runs on _hope_ , though…”

Norman sniffs a bit at that, responding;

“Hen, that sounds depressin’”

Gently, Little Bendy whacked Norman for that. Meanwhile, Hank seemed to reflect as such in his thoughts by his expression. Grimacing a little, Henry sighed softly

“Right, well, at the very least mine won’t hurt anything- just help or not. I’ll need a map though… and some ink. There’s a trick I learned that’ll let me actually see through the studio thanks to the pipes. If I can connect to the ink flowing in them I can vaguely map things out for you…”

Norman seemed amused at that, smiling a little

“Hey, now… I can relate t’ that, actually. I used t’ get ‘round the place usin’ them myself so ‘s not a bad idea”

Nodding, Henry turned to Hank now

“Once I get your map made I should try to get back home; if I stay here too long I don’t think It’ll be good for either of us. Plus, my friends are probably panicking without me…”

Hank nodded back with understanding as the group rose now. Before they could make a move however, a voice feebly called from above…

“Uh, right, so I didn’t want to interrupt you since it sounded important and all, but can someone _please get me down from here???_ ”

Immediately, all of them looked up to see a poor man clutching onto a rafter above them. Pointing at him, Little Bendy exclaimed loudly;

“GRANT! YER ALIVE!!”

Amused, Henry snorted a little before waltzing right under him and holding out his arms

“I can catch you.”

Grant eyed him with distrustful disdain as the others seemed equally unsure. The alternate Sammy snorted in disbelief, shaking his head now

“There’s no way… you’re going to hurt yourself _and_ him. You can’t just-”

With a snap, the rafter broke away anyways dropping the poor accountant right towards them. Holding his arms out still, Henry simply waited before catching him rather effortlessly; with everything he’d been through, his strength was impressive and immeasurable from the others in his group.

Scrambling in shock, the alternate Grant flailed a bit clinging to him and staring wide eyed before meekly commenting

“You’re very strong.”

Behind them Norman whistled a low sound of appraisal as Henry turned around to face them, the accountant still clinging to him. Giving a bit of a modest smile, Henry shrugged;

“I uh… was always on the stronger side, but fighting my way through Hell and back repeatedly gave me a lifetime’s worth of exercise.”

He attempted to set Grant down, but the accountant didn’t seem to want to let go; sighing, Henry turned to look over as Little Bendy explained solemnly

“I’m sorry, he was a spider in his past life…”

Raising an eyebrow, Henry looked to Hank who seemed equally confused.

“Right… that’s okay. You can uh, let go when you’re ready then. I’m used to carrying people anyways.”

The others seemed to take note of that with curiosity, but none questioned him further. Patting Grant, Henry sighed

“Alright… let’s get that map made so I can head home.”

From his back, Bendy leaned his face into Grant’s with a disturbingly wide smile.

“Heya pal, ya like clingin’ ta Henry like this or somethin’?”

With a suggestive eyebrow waggle, he was implying something Henry didn’t like. Pushing the demon’s face away from the already nervous man, he gave another earnest smile

“Preferably sooner than later….”

Nodding back, Hank idly pointed behind them

“Uh… pipes are this way. I’ll get some paper for a map I suppose.”

-

It had taken a moment, but Henry had eventually managed to pry the alternate Grant off of himself with enough force and encouragement. He’d exclaimed something about ‘finally being free’ before Little Bendy jumped on him promptly after. Fortunately, mapping the studio was easier than prying Grant off had been.

Despite the mapping being easier than expected (to Henry’s relief), the reactions from the others while he used his powers made things a little awkward. Mainly, their surprise, curiosity, and somewhat cautious air towards him for it was what was making it such. Henry had gotten so used to it in his own realm he hadn’t thought of how odd it must look to anyone outside…

Little Bendy was perhaps the most curious, actively poking around him trying to somehow see how he was using his powers- not that it really worked like that. The second most curious was the alternate Norman who, despite keeping his distance, Henry could see had a look in his eyes that spoke an intense burning desire to know. Even if Henry wanted to explain it to them… he wasn’t entirely sure how it worked either.

Hank may as well have been just as curious as the other two, but he at least wasn’t being too obvious about it like they were. Henry figured he had every right to be, considering they both used their own forms of magic; it was something they shared which made Henry feel connected with him. Alternate Sammy, however, was standing next to Hank squinting and looking rather distrustful. He wasn’t sure why, but there had to be some reason for it… whatever it was, it was making the man’s face look like he’d tasted a lemon again.

The rest of the group seemed mostly unsure and confused, but when they had the map finished they didn’t seem to really linger on it. Now, Henry pulled the focus to it so he could explain what he’d just done at least somewhat; he had it currently flattened on a table for them all to look over.

“Alright, so, looking at the map I made I narrowed down the likely areas for where the parts you need are. I looked all over through the pipes and ink trying to feel for… I guess some kind of ‘essence’ from the objects denoting their importance. What I _did_ find was areas where your machine’s… let’s say ‘magic’ was the strongest. There’s six areas, so I suppose they’re where the objects are hidden”

Hank looked confused for moment before holding up his copy of the Illusion of living

“Why’re there six areas if we already have one of the items?”

Looking up at that, Henry felt just as confused; that didn’t make sense… six areas were shown to him, but they had one object?

“Huh… that’s odd. I definitely counted six… is… something missing?”

“Now that you mention it, the book was always missing a page; a page about… the ink machine. I see…”

“Hm… that might be what the sixth area is for then. I suppose It’ll complete the book again”

Gesturing over the map, Henry sighed

“From what I can tell though, these areas are the most tentative- meaning unstable. They’re likely going to be dangerous or difficult to navigate like that labyrinth from earlier, but it's where you have to go. I don’t know which part is in what area I mapped, but using environmental clues may be able to help with that. For one thing, the animation room is likely where the ink jar would be and so on.”

With some nods of understanding, the group seemed to be already pondering their next actions as Hank addressed him;

“Thank you for helping us like this; we really appreciate it. I’m sorry that you had to resort to this though, our dimension attacking yours and all… I didn’t mean to cause you all this trouble.”

Smiling, Henry turned to him as his own Bendy came jumping up onto his back again to smile with him

“Hey, I’m happy to help- in fact, that was my intention from the start. The whole inter-dimensional thing is pretty new to us both, so there was no way we’d have known this would happen… I trust you’ll be able to fix it, so don’t worry yourself with guilt.”

“Right- of course. We’ll do what we can, I promise.”

Henry smiled and nodded at that when the alternate Sammy (who had still been giving him somewhat of a look) interjected;

“Now that you have helped us though, you intend to leave, right? If your dimension is having problems from parts of ours being in it, I feel like you shouldn’t overstay your welcome _here_ either…”

Hank gave a bit of a nervous smile at that and made the alternate Sammy back off with a pat before clarifying;

“What he _means_ to say is, we appreciate your help but I think it's time for you to go home now and make sure things are safe there. You… do know how to get back, right?”

Blinking, Henry had to think about that… Over his shoulder, Bendy snorted before laughing

“Ya told Sammy ta open the way back _eventually_ , but how’s he s’pposed t’ know _when???_ ”

The alternate Sammy made a face at the mention of another Sammy… Henry would’ve found it funny had he not been worrying over the fact they could be _stuck_. Grimacing and inhaling through his teeth, Henry sighed

“Right… We uh… well, I figured we might have an issue there. I could try the spell that brought us here but I’m not sure if it's the same going back- you didn’t show up again for a while so I’m assuming you had no luck?”

Suddenly, the alternate Norman was so close to his face Henry actually had to stumble back a bit in surprise, only to realize he was the only thing holding up the other. Quickly catching Norman so he didn’t fall, Henry was caught off guard as he questioned him;

“Spell? Ya mean like a literal incantation? Or is there circle drawin’? Our Henry an’ Joey used magic, but it sounds like it ain’t quite the same- I wonder how many different ‘magics’ there are...”

Henry blinked a couple times trying to comprehend what he was being asked so suddenly before giving a vague shrug and grimace

“I don’t really know- this is the only other dimension I’ve ever really _been_ to… there could be many different iterations. As far as I understand, mine comes from having shared with Bendy who has like… well, real demon magic? But it _wasn’t_ real until he came to our dimension from his own- _another_ dimension- through other black magic and…”

Holding his head, Henry had to sit down as he pondered it over- unintentionally Norman ended up falling from it, but Hank thankfully caught him instead. Snorting, Bendy patted him

“Hey now, don’t think too hard on it old man- yer twistin’ up yer brain!”

“I.. I don’t really _know_. Joey- my Joey made some deal selling his soul for Bendy to come to life, but then because Bendy had actual demon powers in the cartoons- or rather his dimension- it became real in ours? The cartoon world is real in my dimension… that’s just hitting me…”

Suddenly Little Bendy interjected excitedly, nearly knocking poor Grant over as he had been climbing on him

“There’s a _cartoon world?!_ ”

Staring quietly for a moment, Henry slowly looked to Hank with disbelief

“Th… There is- Hank, is your Bendy not?...”

Quietly nearby he could hear the alternate Sammy mutter ‘Hank?’ with confusion as said old man responded;

“Well, like Norman mentioned, our Joey used magic too with a similar ‘selling your soul’ play and... Technically I was the one who made Bendy off of his attempt, however... He’s based off the cartoons, but uh. He’s a bonafide demon”

Henry slowly turned to Little Bendy who puffed before insisting,

“No! I’m a cartoon now! I’m silly, make people laugh, an’ not scary!”

Sighing, he looked to Norman who was still keeping intent eye contact with him. It was a little odd, but he had to give him credit for his determination for answers- Henry had been there before. Norman didn’t ask further, so Henry figured he’d muse aloud;

“Right, well, our Bendy and Ink demon used to be in one but they split because of Joey… they’d stayed apart so long they actually grew into their own beings somehow despite only having a half soul each. They both just have inherited demon magic from their world, which I guess spread to ours and me when my soul had Bendy’s half combined with it for a while…”

Bendy bounced on his back a bit, smirking

“Yeah! Then even after ya lost it, ya kept that ‘hope’ magic stuff or somethin’! It doesn’t make a lotta sense, but it's neat! I wonder how much other demons ‘n magic ‘n stuff exists in our world!”

Groaning, Henry shook his head

“I don’t really want to dabble with that and find out… anyways, my power is strange and I don’t know where it comes from. I guess the ink I’m made of is just receptive to it…”

While Henry was musing, he hadn’t realized the others blanched a little at his mention of being ink- it was so normal to him at this point he’d forgotten. Slowly however, he turned his gaze to them as Sammy questioned him;

“You’re… still made of ink? D-didn’t you escape your studio and everything?”

He looked taken aback and almost afraid at the idea which made Henry frown. Sighing heavily, he looked to Bendy who had also gotten quite solemn.

“Well, yeah we did; but we couldn’t ‘turn back’... I don’t know how it worked here, but in our world we all… died-died. Our bodies were… sacrificed or something? We’re all permanently made of ink, but our souls are alive inside it. I guess that makes us semi-immortal? We still get hurt and such but we don’t get sick or really age anymore. I actually used to look a _lot_ older than this… my ink body is stuck at when I was 42- I’m supposed to be well into my 80’s by now.”

The alternate group had fallen silent in a way that he was sure meant they were all disturbed by what he’d revealed… except for Hank and Norman. Instead, the alternate Norman gave another low whistle before speaking with a sly smile;

“Well, ya look pretty good fer yer age then”

Sammy sighed with disappointment at the comment while Hank looked like he wasn’t trying to laugh, but Henry simply rubbed the back of his neck with an awkward smile

“Oh… well, thanks I guess-”

“HAHAHA! Yeah old man, ya coulda looked like _Joey!_ ”

Rolling his eyes, Henry grabbed Bendy into a tight hug muffling a yell from him in the process.

“Anyways, yeah- I’m made of ink. I still need to eat, sleep and avoid injury like you guys though so I’m not invincible by any means…”

Little Bendy looked curious again, calling over from Grant’s back;

“Wait, does that mean ya go to the bathroom too?”

Unable to help himself, Henry snorted heavily before covering his mouth trying not to burst out laughing as his Bendy was muffled cackling under his grasp now. Clearing his throat, he uncovered his mouth to respond;

“No… surprisingly, not really. I don’t know how or _why_ but I’m not going to question it. So… all of that aside, I think we should probably figure out how to get us back now huh?”

Transferring Norman to a reluctant Sammy instead, Hank pulled out his copy of the Illusion of Living that Henry recognized from before

“I do still have the spell written here to open the doorway, but it didn’t work like you guessed… I’m not sure what needs to be changed, but something isn’t right. Though, again, I didn’t have much time to look too far into it.”

Furrowing his brow at that, Henry stood and leaned over to look at it too now, rubbing his chin in thought

“That’s a good question… Sammy- uh, _my_ Sammy was always better with this stuff than me… Maybe it's a one-way deal? Or we have to change a part of it to go the other direction…”

Snorting in disdain, Bendy shook his head

“It’d be a lot easier if we could read the dang thing! It's written in latin or somethin’!”

Bouncing off of Grant with a comedic spring sound effect, Little Bendy landed on Hank nearly knocking them over as he exclaimed happily

“Hey, I can probably read that!! Show me, show me!”

Struggling to right himself, Hank slowly held up the book to the excited demon. Henry had to smile at his excitement to help them. Still proud, the Little Bendy exclaimed;

“I know how ta read a bit of it ‘cause the other demons we summoned to drag Joey ta Hell taught me! Not that I’m one- I’m not scary!”

Snickering, Henry’s Bendy had a look of disbelief but thankfully didn’t say anything this time. Little Bendy on the other hand read the spell aloud, nothing happening of course, but he looked puzzled.

“Huh… that ain’t right! The last bit is all wrong- it's fer this place! Openin’ a door to a place yer already in wouldn’t make any sense….”

Henry smiled, but also felt a bit silly at how simple it had turned out to be… of course it made sense.

“No, no it wouldn’t… so how do we change it to take me home then?”

“Do ya have a pencil I could borrow??”

“Uh- not really, I didn’t think to-”

“Nevermind, I got my own!”

Grabbing his tail, Little Bendy scribbled on the page under the last part of the spell putting a different word that Henry still didn’t recognize but the demon seemed sure about it.

“There! _Now_ it should open th’ way back!”

Bendy gave him a funny look, leaning over now

“How’d ya know what ta write anyways??”

“I didn’t! I just know the last bit needed ta be different and scribbled somethin’ down! It just _felt_ right!”

Henry and Bendy stared blankly before Henry slowly put a hand over his face

“Ah… toon logic… if it's funny, it works- how could I forget?”

“Listen, ya don’t question how I know the word, ya don’t question how my tail writes, and ya _especially_ don’t question where the _anvil_ comes from- it just works!”

There was a beat of silence before Hank questioned;

“A...anvil?”

Suddenly, without warning, a cartoon metal anvil apparated and crushed the man into a comical splat on the floor. Henry could only gawk with wide eyes in horror before Allison and Sammy screamed from behind them, Sammy rushing over after dropping Norman like a brick. Poor Norman held his amputated leg in response with a grunt, grimacing somewhat which worried Henry a little. He was distracted however as Sammy promptly yelled;

“HENRY?! YOU BRAT, YOU KILLED HIM-”

Cackling like a hyena, Henry’s Bendy was having the time of his life over it before Little Bendy pouted at Sammy

“Did _not!_ He’s fine! Just a little squished right now!”

  
  


Slapping the anvil away as the flattened Hank groaned, Little Bendy took his hand before comically blowing into it and inflating him back into shape. With a snap, Hank was back looking a little worse for wear but alright overall. Sammy still looked mortified despite it all, patting him down just in case. Sitting up disgruntled, Norman looked confused more than upset at being dropped as Tom proceeded to help him up.

Still staring for a solid moment while processing what he’d witnessed, Henry was silent until he burst into laughter. Quickly covering his mouth as Sammy glared daggers, he was still chuckling under his hand; the absurdity had hit him too hard. Hank, too, seemed to hold in a laugh.

Puffing, Little Bendy crossed his arms while stating matter-of-factly;

“Henry’s fine! Ever since we made our pact he’s able to be part ‘a the cartoon humor without it hurtin’ him! Honestly, you guys worry too much!”

Sammy still looked somewhat disgruntled about it, but the others seemed to take the explanation to heart at least. 

As the moment of humorous calamity was calming down however, Henry quieted himself a bit before slowly realizing something… the walls around them were creaking ominously. He’d forgotten that their studio was currently unstable, and the slam of the anvil had likely unsettled it even worse. Cautiously holding out his hands, he grimaced;

“Uh… does anyone else hear that?”

The creaking grew louder before it turned into a groan, dust floating down around them making Henry wince. He had a bad feeling about that.

With a shattering sound, the walls cracked and the ceiling gave out dropping debris around them. Sammy had been quick to cover Hank and Little Bendy, Grant somehow disappeared as soon as the creaking started, and Tom pulled Allison away into a protective hold. However, as everyone scattered and fled, Henry remembered something else- Norman didn’t have one of his legs and couldn’t move very well. Turning quickly to find him, his eyes widened as the ceiling suddenly caved entirely over the poor man who had already been struggling to get out from under previous debris.

Throwing himself forward without another thought, Henry braced himself over Norman letting the wooden planks slam against him as he pushed back with as much force as he could. Somehow with his immense effort, he’d caught a decent portion of it keeping most of it away from Norman, aside from small broken pieces. Unfortunately Henry had gotten scraped, scratched, and bruised by the broken wood that was slowly making him shake from its sheer weight.

(Contributed by @Corruptimles on twitter!)

Looking rather shaken, Norman could only stare as Henry struggled with the ceiling. Pushing with another strain of force, Henry finally shoved it away with an equally loud slam to the floor before heaving out a heavy sigh of relief and sinking down next to him. Slumping next to Norman, he gazed at the hole in the ceiling before commenting breathlessly;

“That… was _way_ too close.”

Catching his breath, he slowly looked over to the alternate projectionist to find he was _still_ staring. Slowly holding a hand out towards him, Henry furrowed his brow

“H-hey, are you alright?”

Seemingly trying to snap out of it, Norman was giving a sort of attempt at a sly smile as if he was going to make a joke but it didn’t come to him. Instead, he breathed a stuttering sigh before struggling to sit up more;

“I uh… Thank you.”

He still seemed pretty shaken, so Henry wasn’t surprised that he couldn’t say more; it worried him some, but at least physically the man was alright- at least from what he could tell. Putting a reassuring firm hand on his shoulder, he gave Norman a genuine smile

“Hey, it's alright; I know it's pretty startling, but you’re in one piece. Just breathe and you’ll be okay.”

Finally seeming to gain his confidence back, Norman gave a short chuckle

“One piece? I think it's a bit late fer that one…”

Henry smiled still at that until he winced from a small force slamming against his back as Bendy loudly exclaimed at him;

“HENRY YA CRAZY OLD MAN, YA ALMOST GOT SMUSHED!!!”

The other Bendy came bolting over too then, standing in front of Norman before letting out a yell and startling Henry

“AAAAAAAAA! NORMAN, YA GOTTA STOP GETTIN’ THINGS DROPPED ON YA!”

Henry grimaced a bit at that, understanding now why Norman seemed so startled. He felt bad for the alternate projectionist… but at least he’d spared him worse injury for now.

Struggling with a grunt of pain (and Bendy clinging to his back again), Henry managed to get back up before offering his hand to Norman

“We should probably get out of this mess; the walls over here could still be unstable and collapse more.”

As if to enunciate his point, the creaking picked up again. In response Norman grasped his hand firmly, getting pulled up by Henry- however they had to pause as Norman clutched and rubbed his amputated leg. The gesture was worrying and made Henry more careful as he guided him over to the others who looked concerned and wary but were otherwise unharmed. Looking over to Hank, Henry noticed he was wrapped in fading gold veins again likely having used it to defend himself and the others. Sighing, Henry shook his head;

“I think it's safe to say I’ve overstayed my welcome and should probably head out before something worse happens…”

He gave Norman another reassuring smile full of warmth hoping he’d feel somewhat comforted by it. Henry could almost swear he felt him shaking slightly…

Cutting in, the alternate Tom sounded rather disgruntled

“If that earthquake meant anything, it was probably saying we should get a move on before long and find those parts.”

Henry nodded looking to Hank again

“Meaning I need to head out and let you get to it. Seems like you’ve got everything in your control from here on out anyways…”

He made sure Norman was being supported properly by someone else (being Sammy again) before moving to a somewhat clearer space with Hank. Taking a deep breath and sighing, he nodded to him;

“Alright. Let me see that spell again…”

Slowly, Hank flipped through the pages of his book before holding it up to him. Reading it a couple times, Henry concentrated and read it out loud. Thankfully, it worked; the golden drawn shape of a door etched into the air to the others’ amazement. Smiling at them all, Henry gave a small wave

“It was nice meeting you all. Hopefully we can again under better circumstances… I’m sure my friends would like to see you sometime.”

Hank smiled back at him, giving a small wave in return

“We’d love to visit. I’d like more tea again sometime too. And uh… if you happen to see a doorway to this place, maybe leave something that Isn’t bacon soup for us?”

Henry chuckled before remembering something...  
  


“Can do, but uh, one more thing… if you see a weird little… bendy doll running around with a fancy glowing sword… could you bring that back to me? It doesn’t quite belong to him.”

Bendy shouted over his shoulder excitedly;

“YEAH!! I used it to sort of almost kill Joey an’ the Ink demon on our side!”

Henry face palmed as the others had various reactions, but the alternate Allison questioned something else;

“You know… we never _did_ find Shawn… I wonder where he is?”

Henry gave a small shrug and a sigh

“Well, I don’t know about Shawn, but if you hear squeaky little footsteps I’d appreciate you following them to get my sword back. I don’t know _who_ that thing is working for, but I don’t like it.”

Sticking his tongue out, Bendy sneered

“That little creep seemed evil ta me!”

Looking rather amused all of a sudden, Sammy and Hank both seemed to be holding back laughter over something. Furrowing his brow, Henry slowly looked between them

“Wh… what’s so funny?”

Sammy waved a hand, shaking his head

“Don’t worry about it; we’ll find it and get your sword back… I have my own reasons for hunting down that menace anyway.”

Figuring he wouldn’t get much more than that, Henry turned to Hank again giving a last nod

“Right. Well, I’ll see you around hopefully. Stay safe if you can, alright?”

Hank nodded back as Henry turned and opened the door, pushing it open with a decent swing- however, it quickly slammed into something with a ‘NYEPH’ on the other side that made him pause. Behind him, he could hear the alternate Norman question;

“Why’d that weird noise sound like Sammy?”

Alternate Sammy gave him a dirty look with a pouty scowl

“I do _not_ sound like that!”

Tentatively pushing the door open this time, Henry grimaced as his Sammy was rubbing his forehead glaring at him. Huffing, he gave him an earful for it;

“You know you don’t have to THROW IT OPEN! How many TIMES is this going to HAPPEN! I hate these doorways!!”

“Sorry Sammy… I didn’t expect you to be so close to it”

“Well, Henry, you told me to wait and re-open the doorway for you- so here I was waiting! You’d only been gone like, what… ten minutes? I wasn’t expecting you _that_ soon…”

Surprised by that, Henry glanced over to Hank as he mused aloud;

“Ten minutes? It's been a _lot_ longer than that for us… I guess time passes differently? Or maybe… I wonder if these doorways are a form of time travel too?...”

Sammy made a face at that from the other side before shaking his head

“Alright, one thing at a time; now are you coming through or not?”

Sighing, Henry glanced to Bendy who merely smiled at him before nodding

“Yeah, I’m coming. See you later guys- and good luck stopping the machine. Don’t hesitate if you need help from me again- Oh, and one more thing;”

He glanced to Norman in particular with another reassuring smile before looking to Hank

“Keep yourselves safe.”

Waving dramatically, Bendy chuckled

“See ya suckers! Don’t die!”

“Bendy-”

“Whaaaat? I’m bein’ sincere! Don’t die!”

Shaking his head again, Henry turned and stepped through the doorway hearing a chorus of goodbyes from the alternate Norman, Little Bendy, Allison, and Hank. Smiling as the doorway snapped shut again, Henry turned to Sammy

“The other dimension is very interesting and different, but I think I like being home more…”

With a sniff, Sammy crossed his arms giving him a look

“Yeah, I’d think so. That being said… _now_ what do we do?? The others went to try and combat the pipes again, but they’re going to _stop_ this- right?”

“They have a plan of action, yes. Unfortunately though the best we can do now… is wait.”

Gawking a bit and holding up his arms in exasperation, Sammy scoffed

“Wait?! That’s _it_??”

“Yup. Sorry, Sammy… they need time to do their thing and all. We just need to hope they’ll pull through and stop their machine to save us.”

Dropping his arms and looking defeated, Sammy sighed heavily and hung his head

“...Fine. I guess I’ve put faith in you before, I’ll do so now… but if they _don’t_ fix this, do we have a backup plan?”

Thinking for a moment, Henry turned to him

“We’ll come up with one if it comes to that”

As Sammy gave him an unamused look, Bendy snort-laughed 

“Improvising as always, eh old man? Hahaha!”

As the demon slapped him on the back however, Henry winced with a pained noise of surprise. Frowning, he immediately jumped off Henry looking startled before asking him;

“H-Hey, are ya alright?? I barely touched ya!”

“Y-Yeah, I’m just… bruised, I think. Catching a falling ceiling does that…”

Squawking in surprise, Sammy pulled him over to himself;

“Falling ceiling?! What in their inky Hell were you _doing??_ You know what- doesn’t matter. We’re getting you medical help.”

Waving his arms with a grimace, Henry tried pulling away

“No, no- it's fine, really-”

Getting yanked back over, Sammy gave him a look

“No. I’m not having _any_ of that! We’re getting your injuries treated and that’s that.”

Sighing in his own defeat now, Henry looked to Bendy who was pouting

“Alright… alright. Just… don’t touch my back please”

While they headed out, Henry could only wonder if their alternate selves would be okay… he already saw Hank as a friend, and he didn’t like the idea of him suffering. Funny enough, he also wondered if their Norman would be okay; he’d seemed easy going and quick to joke, but the feeling of him shaking hadn’t left Henry’s mind. He’d been there before- pushing down fear until it became impossible to hide.

Perhaps he could talk it out with him sometime, maybe over that tea he promised Hank.

Back on the other side however, Hank had turned to the others before questioning rather simply;

“Has anyone seen Grant?”

After a beat of silence, a nervous cough from above caused them all to look up. Immediately, Little Bendy slapped his hands to both sides of his head in distress as he yelled;

“GRAAANT!”

-

Since Henry had given them the map to help them try and fight their machine, nobody had heard anything from their alternate selves for a while now. It was starting to become worrisome as the pipes were only breaking into things further- but at the very least none of them were new. They’d still been trying to fight back the pipes, but still not to much avail; it was beginning to get stressful.

Henry kept reminding them they had to wait for Hank and the others to succeed, but even he was getting worried that they might’ve failed or given up. Either that, or something had happened to them and they’d gotten hurt.

Sighing and drumming a pencil on paper in his office, Henry was gazing out the window at some of the pipes as he was wondering about them. It had been a few days since he’d left them to combat their machine, and he had no doubt they were doing their best- but his mind kept wandering to worst case scenarios.

Closing his eyes, he wondered about the stability of their dimensions too… having been cracked like this, how long was it until something started to break? As if answering the thought however, suddenly everything around him began to rumble deeply making several things fall off his desk. Stumbling a bit from his chair, Henry quickly ran to the window to look outside in confusion, surprise, and fear. Were things finally falling apart??

However, what he saw instead amazed him; golden veins of light were swirling all over the pipes poking through the cracks in the air as if grasping over them. Immediately Henry recognized them as Hank’s, recalling when he’d seen them upon first bringing him into their dimension on accident.

Bolting outside to see it closer, Henry watched in awe as the pipes all over their town wrapped in the veins until they were glowing solid gold. Then, with another forceful rumble that shook the town itself making Henry nearly fall, the pipes exploded into massive bursts of sparkling light like a fantastic display of fireworks. The resulting sparkling bits rained down in a harmless glitter that made the air itself shimmer.

(Contributed by @Corruptimles on twitter!)

Beaming with glee, Henry couldn’t help but throw his arms up and cheer loudly in excitement; they’d done it! They’d succeeded and defeated their machine, which hopefully meant they were finally safe and could have their happy ending too.

As Henry approached the nearest rift to inspect it, he couldn’t get close fast enough as it quickly re-sealed itself with a snap making him flinch. All over the other rifts followed suit creating a rather calamitous chorus of sound as their dimension finally sealed itself from the reign of the alternate ink machine.

Beaming again, Henry sighed with content before hearing plenty of other cheers from the fellow citizens in town. The sound of joy made his heart swell and he couldn’t help but feel proud of Hank and his alternate dimensional friends; now both of them were saved they could rest.

He’d wait a bit before doing so, but Henry couldn’t wait to see Hank soon for tea…




Despite their strange interactions, Henry had felt that he’d have seen Hank and his friends again sooner than later- but it seemed that wasn’t the case. Time had kept passing and they hadn’t heard from them in a while after the dimensional portals sealed. On one hand Henry was wondering if it was because they couldn’t travel between anymore, on the other he wondered if they were just reluctant to visit out of fear?

The idea of dimensional instability was still a good question as none of them truly understood it, but at the same time it seemed… different from what Henry had experienced before. He felt that maybe it really wasn’t as bad as they had thought but the potential ‘what-ifs’ might have been enough to deter the others from visiting again.

Sighing to himself, Henry felt a little disappointed by it but he wasn’t going to push and try to visit them soon as possible. It was occupying his mind repeatedly despite his normal routines going back to their norm. Maybe he should push to try and see them again?...

Going to Sammy’s house after work now, Henry wanted to get to the bottom of it and check in on Hank to make sure they really _had_ made it out. He’d been assuming better this whole time, but the nagging worry of not seeing them again wouldn’t settle.

Now entering the cellar area where they’d first opened the rift in the beginning, Henry looked around before spotting Sammy in the back scribbling some kind of notes on a paper. Upon approach he realized it was actually a music sheet and he was composing next to his magic study notes.

“Hey… that song for your music career?”

Blinking and glancing up, Sammy looked at him blankly for a moment before remembering he was supposed to respond

“Ah- right, this… somewhat, yes; it's mostly experimentation with some melodies for a piece I want to compose. That aside I’m assuming you’re here to make more of a mess…”

Smiling, Henry shrugged at that

“Not _exactly_ , but I do want to open that portal again”

Sighing, Sammy set down his pencil running a hand through his hair idly while eyeing the wall with a magic circle drawn on it behind him

“Hopefully it goes better than this mess. Don’t worry about that though… it's uh… a work in progress too. More study stuff.”

Nodding, Henry casually picked up Sammy’s ‘Illusion of Living’ book, turning to the page with the spell as the music director continued to scribble; he didn’t seem to be interested in seeing their counterparts again.

Moving to make space, Henry was about to read the spell aloud- however, the doorway etched into the air before he even said anything. This time it was cleaner and created itself faster; perhaps that was a good sign? Maybe it meant the connection of their worlds was more stable?

As Henry was reaching to open the door, Sammy’s eyes widened and he dropped his pencil to quickly move out of the way. The moment the doorway opened up, someone went flying through barely missing Sammy on their way in with a loud ‘NYEPH’ that sounded… familiar somehow. With a contempt huff, Sammy placed his hands on his hips looking rather proud

“I _knew_ it! I _knew_ that was going to happen again! Luckily, I’m smart and moved out of the way!”

As the alternate Sammy groaned on the floor behind him, Henry looked back at the doorway as his Sammy continued to gloat;

“You see, I grow keen to things after a while; I won’t fall victim to _that_ again-”

As if on cue, the doppler effect of someone yelling grew closer before a blur of black passed through the doorway slamming directly into Sammy’s back causing him to land on the alternate Sammy. Sitting up immediately and disgruntled, Sammy turned to glare at Little Bendy who was now excitedly clinging to his back

“Why you LITTLE-”

“Hiya, other Sammy! Gee, yer hair sure is fancy!”

With that, Little Bendy smacked his bangs into his face causing Sammy to shut his eyes tightly and sigh heavily through his nose. Amused, Henry watched as the alternate Sammy glared at the two and grumbled;

“ _Excuse_ me, but you’re sitting on _top of me_.”

Blinking, Sammy looked at him making a face and moving quickly

“Not like I _wanted_ to!”

As the two were starting to get up and scoff at one another, Hank quietly and calmly stepped through, adjusting his glasses with a slight grimace

“Oh… That didn’t work how I wanted it to- Sorry. And also, hello.”

Henry beamed at him, not hesitating to hug and lift Hank with joy at seeing his friend again- he was alive and okay! And not covered in ink!

“Hank!! I’m so happy you’re alright- I was worried for a moment something happened… what took you so long to come back?”

“We needed some time to readjust to ‘normal’ life again as things settled down… I won’t lie, I almost thought all of the dimensional stuff was just a weird fever dream for a bit too, among the other stuff that happened. That is until we found the book again…”

Setting him down again, Henry chuckled

“That’s fair… I hope you guys are settled down properly by now. I’m assuming since you’re here that’s true though. How’s everyone doing? How’s Norman doing on your side?”

Behind them, the two Sammys were now bickering over whose fault their collision was as Little Bendy cackled and clung to his Sammy’s back still. Before Hank could respond to him, another voice popped in with a familiar deep southern accent;

“I’m doin’ quite fine actually, how ‘bout your lot? How’s yer back too?”

Turning to see the other Norman walk through, Henry smiled again

“We’re doing fine here, thanks- and my back healed up. I’m glad to see you’re up and about again… walking on your own too, for one.”

Pulling up his pant leg to show off his new prosthetic, Norman gestured at it before responding;

“Well, unless yer offerin’ t’ carry me around…”

As Norman gave a sly smile that made Henry snort, the two Sammys’ bickering from behind cut in getting louder as his Sammy yelled;

“I am NOT a ‘twink’, I am a TWUNK! UGH! Besides, you’re just jealous I don’t look like a _drowned rat_ pulled through a _strainer!_ ”

With a loud chuff of surprise and anger at that, alternate Sammy lashed back while Little Bendy was messing with his hair now;

“Drowned ra- you’re the only _rat_ I see here, dwelling in a basement covered in _dirt!_ ”

“I’m covered in dirt from the farm my _husband_ owns because I have a life outside being a RAT”

Henry grimaced, feeling almost convinced the two were about to start fighting any second; thankfully however, their Norman came down the stairs quickly calling out to them;

“Oy oy oy, enough of that! Sammy, who’re ya fightin’ with anyhow- well now… Howdy t’ you lot, huh? Ya must be more of those alternate versions of us right?”

As the man sauntered over, he had to duck a few times being quite tall. Gasping wide eyed from the alternate Sammy’s back, Little Bendy pointed at him and shouted;

“COWBOY!!! COWBOY PROJECTOR EYE!”

Letting out a hearty laugh, Norman dusted his hands a bit looking around at everyone with his flickering lens eye before meeting eyes with his alternate self

“Well, guess I am huh? I do own horses on our ranch upstairs an’ all, an’ my eye flickers… but film is still my passion- and not bein’ the thing that plays it.”

Gesturing to the alternate Norman, Henry introduced the two;

“Norman this is… well, Norman. And over there is the other Sammy. That might get confusing… anyways, yes, our alternate friends are here to visit”

Turning to Hank as the Normans greeted one another, Henry smiled as his old friend spoke again;

“Sorry again that it took so long to get back. This time I brought Sammy, Norman and Bendy to visit too… I’ve been thinking about that tea offer for a while so I figured now would be a good time as any- if I’m not intruding of course”

“Nah, I was actually about to check in on you- you have perfect timing. As for the tea, I can take you guys over to my place to visit… I’m not sure if our Sammys are going to get along…”

Their Normans, on the other hand, seemed to be doing well; Hank’s Norman was looking into one of the books as his Norman was explaining about his toon horses Bacon and Beans. At the mention of horses, the alternate Norman’s eyes lit up with excitement as he exclaimed;

“Horses?? I haven’t seen a horse in YEARS. Can I see ‘em?”

“‘Course ya can! Come right on up, they’ll love ya!”

Watching them go, Henry smiled glad to see them getting along; not too long after, Little Bendy zipped past both Sammys at the mention of horses as well. Turning to Hank once more, Henry shrugged and gestured to the stairs;

“Why not go join them? I think it's getting a little… angry down here anyways”

Glancing at the Sammys having a glaring contest, he grimaced a bit. Looking towards them too, Hank sighed and called out;

“Sammy, we talked about this… the whole ‘alternate versions’ thing?”

“Well I don’t like him!”

Huffing, Henry’s Sammy squinted at him

“I don’t like you _either_.”

Rolling his eyes, Henry marched over before scooping his own Sammy under his arm with a yelp from the man, heading for the stairs

“Well _/I/_ don’t like either of you fighting, so we’re going outside now.”

Wiggling angrily in Henry’s arm, Sammy yelled for a minute as Hank gently guided his Sammy out too

“C’mon Sammy, let’s follow…”

“Fine. But I _still_ don’t like him.”

Outside, the air was much nicer figuratively and literally; the sun was warm but not too hot, and a cool breeze was brushing over the grass and their faces. Both Normans were excitedly playing with the toon horses, but Little Bendy seemed unnerved by them- perhaps he wasn’t so happy to see them after all. Alternate Norman sighed, explaining aloud for them;

“He doesn’t exactly have good memories ‘a Bendyland ‘cause ‘a some… experiences we had there.”

Nodding, his Norman patted the horses regardless

“Y’know, me neither. Frankly I think I share my spouses’ fear ‘a amusement rides now, seein’ as one smacked me so hard I almost died fer real”

Despite the morbidity of his comment, the Normans laughed about it anyways. Sammy puffed from next to Henry (whom he had to put down as he had started biting), flipping his hair out of his face

“It's a _rational_ fear!”

Before the alternate Sammy could comment, Hank gave him a look that kept his mouth shut. His pursed expression showed how much he wanted to however.

Shaking his head a bit, Henry turned to Hank;

“Seeing as we have a bit of a ‘duo’ problem again, what should we call you guys while you’re here? I think calling you both ‘Sammy’ and having two Normans might get confusing”

Scoffing again, the Alternate Sammy crossed his arms

“We’re not that close anyways, so ‘Samuel’ would do just fine.”

Distantly, the alternate Norman called back;

“Nobody calls ya that.”

“Well it's my _name!_ ”

Snorting, Sammy gave him a look

“Samuel? That’s a little _too_ formal… good thing my real name IS Sammy.”

Giving each other dirty looks, their tension only deepened. Face palming, Henry looked over to the Normans

“What about you guys? What should we do about your double name?”

Both of them impressively spoke in unison;

“Norman.”

Without flinching, they maintained eye contact and smug smiles that showed they were possibly messing with them. With a heavy sigh from both Sammys, Henry and Hank both snickered with amusement. Little Bendy made a face however, not getting the joke;

“That’s too confusin’! Just call our Norman ‘Norm’! I call ‘im that!”

Nodding, Henry smiled again

“That works. At least when you two are around one another we’ll use that”

Looking to Hank, Henry gestured at his car nearby

“Well, since that’s sorted, how about we head over to my place for tea? I have more fresh banana bread- and pie this time”

With a hint of a smile and a charming flick of his tail, he nodded back

“Sounds good. Will your car uh… fit everyone?”

Huffing, Sammy strutted over to Norman clinging to his arm

“We’ll take our _own_ car, thank you. I’m not riding with that stink face rat man”

“Alright, you overrated stuck up-”

Hank quickly cut in at that, gently taking his hand

“ _Sammy_.”

Samuel quieted in response, but still glared daggers at Sammy- however, Henry noticed him squeeze Hank’s hand a little in return. The gesture made him smile; it was good to see there was warmth inside the man despite his stony attitude.

“Well, how about we head over then? No need to just stand around here”

-

Having made their way to his house, everyone was hanging around Henry’s kitchen and enjoying tea and baked goods made by him and Alice angel, who was merrily humming a tune and enjoying their new friends’ company. Boris was a little nervous at the strangers, but he was happy to at least be eating as always, so he was braving it. Bendy, as usual, was also more than happy at their presence as it meant more people to torment.

Sitting at his kitchen table, Henry was currently watching as Little Bendy was bouncing around excitedly in front of Alice and Boris practically shouting;

“Wowie, this is amazin’!! I’m a toon too, y’know? Just like you!”

Chuckling, Alice gave a gentle pat on his head beaming at him

“I can see that! Aww, you’re just so sweet and innocent- I wish our Bendy was more like you!”

Face dropping with an audible duck quack, Bendy turned to give her a look of distress

“What?! Angel, yer kiddin’ right?? I’m the original charmer ya know an’ love!!”

Chuckling again, she waved a hand at Bendy who was pouting now;

“Bendy, you know I still adore your friendship- but you _can_ be so mischievous!”

“Yeah! It's parta my charm!”

“Maybe you could be _less_ charming sometimes?...”

Grumbling angrily now, Bendy crossed his arms giving Little Bendy a dirty look. As Alice turned to Boris for a moment, Little Bendy stuck a tongue out at him making Bendy gasp

“Wh- Hey!! Angel, look-”

As she turned back however, Little Bendy was back to smiling innocently making Alice merely smile back

“I know; so cute and small!”

Gritting his teeth a bit, Bendy eyed the other Bendy

“You better watch it kid, I’m gonna pull a fast one on ya fer that…”

Chuckling himself, Henry shook his head turning to Hank and Samuel

“Toons, huh? It's like having a live cartoon always playing around you…”

Hank looked amused, but Samuel was making a bit of a face

“One is _already_ a handful, how do you handle _three?_ ”

“Well, for one, it's a _lot_ more than three…”

“Wh… what do you mean by that.”

Suddenly, Hank looked like he’d remembered something as he slowly gazed at Samuel

“Oh, right, I forgot to mention that…”

“Mention what??”

Strolling in then, Edgar followed by his fellow butcher gang members happily began greeting Bendy and the others, Little Bendy looking even more excited. Shrugging, Henry looked to Samuel

  
“There’s a lot of toons all over- but they’re all butcher gang copies that used to be employees… they’re not as toony so to say, but they have the same abilities as far as I can tell.”

Samuel looked drained at the thought, Sammy snickering at him from nearby where he was standing with his own cup of tea. Turning to Hank now, Henry gave him an honest smile changing the topic;

“That aside, I have to ask… how’re you doing with your relationship with Samuel? You two seem to be pretty close, which is sweet”

Immediately both reacted in different ways as Hank covered his face with embarrassment while Samuel bristled, looking surprised and caught off guard. Trying not to laugh, Henry waved his hand a little

“No, no- it's fine, really! I just thought it was nice and I was curious…”

Slowly moving his hand from his face, Hank sighed a little before responding finally;

“It's actually still fairly new for both of us… After escaping and finally having some time to think... We’re working it out and getting used to it for now.”

Samuel was surprisingly quiet as Hank explained, only going for a sip of tea to avoid seeming flustered. He did reach for Hank’s hand again though, which was met with another reassuring squeeze.

Nodding, Henry sipped his tea thoughtfully; it was definitely a good thing, taking time with a relationship. He just wished he’d had more common sense when making his own first one… ugh. He would _never_ make that mistake again.

“Honestly, I wish I’d taken that step myself… I uh… well, I don’t know about your dimension, but here I actually… ugh. I dated Joey…”

As if an audible record scratch had gone off, all of their alternate friends paused with a look of shock in unison staring at him. Grimacing and awkwardly shrinking a bit in his chair, Henry rubbed the back of his neck

“Yeaaah I figured I should tell you before someone blurts it out… I broke up with him a _long_ time ago before the machine mess though! He… didn’t take that well, seeing as how he uh. Well killed me and all. But I’m alright now! And he’s…”

Blanking for a moment, he shook his head

“I actually have no idea what happened to him… I _hope_ he’s gone though.”

Hank and the others did not look reassured at that, but Henry sighed

“We haven’t heard or seen from him since in years so I think it's safe to say he’s gone. Either way, it was… a time.”

Samuel looked like he really wanted to say something, but seemed to be at a loss for words. All he could manage was;

“ _Joey?_ With _Joey?_ ”

“Look- I know, everyone keeps reacting like that, but he was different back then! Before he sold his soul and turned… uh… evil is the best way to put it.”

“Still- _Joey?_ ”

Hank clapped his hands together then, quickly changing the subject again;

“Right! Well, I brought gifts. As a thank you for helping us stop the machine. I think now would be a good time to hand those out- but I don’t have one for everyone, I didn’t meet more than the handful of you that first time. Maybe if I get more time I can make more…”

Henry looked curious at that

“Make? What kind of gifts did you make?”

Pulling out a cardboard box from… somewhere? Hank opened it and held up a sweater for him to see. Next to him, Samuel shook his head

“I have _no_ idea how he made this many- he’s just so… fast with needles. It scares me a little.”

Beaming, Henry gladly took the sweater offered to him; it was a nicely made cable-knit sweater in dark forest green, his favorite color. 

“Wow… this is lovely- thank you so much! This is my favorite color too, how did you know?”

“To be honest it was just a lucky guess off the sweater vest I saw you wearing when we met again the second time. Also I just like green myself, I thought it’d look nifty”

Nodding, Henry admired the sweater before folding it in his lap

“I’ll have to wear it when it's cooler out, but this is a lovely gift; thank you. Who else did you make them for?”

“Well…”

Pulling out even more, Henry raised a brow as Samuel gave him a knowing look back. Soon, all three of his toons had customized black and white sweaters that fit their personalities- Alice with hearts, boris with bones, and Bendy with humorous comic effects. Additionally, Sammy had one too and was baffled but seemed genuinely surprised in a happy way as he admired the rather classy black sweater that suited his posh attitude.

“This… this is a wonderful sweater. I… I didn’t expect getting something from you- thank you for this…”

Chuckling next to him, Norman patted Sammy on the shoulder while smiling at Hank

“That’s the nicest I’ve heard ‘im be in a _while_ ”

Getting whacked for that comment, Norman only laughed again as Hank smiled. Henry couldn’t help but smile too; it was very heartwarming and wonderful to see everyone so happy and safe, enjoying each other’s company. It was what he’d dreamed of having for so long- just never in this way.

While he was watching everyone interact about the sweaters however, Henry slowly realized he hadn’t seen someone for a bit… where had the other Norman gone off to? Slowly getting up, Henry briefly spoke to Hank;

“Hey, I’ll be right back; you guys keep eating and chatting”

Leaving the kitchen, Henry slowly peeked around the different rooms before finally finding the door to his miniature art studio/office open. Heading over, he gently pushed the door open finding the other Norman was looking through his drawings and art. Smiling softly, Henry approached him quietly

“So that’s where you snuck off to…”

Flinching and fumbling with the papers a bit, he caught them before giving a slightly nervous smile

“Ah, seems I’m gettin’ rusty… usually I’m not caught like this. Not that I’m doin’ anythin’ bad in here! I just wanted t’ look...”

Snorting softly, Henry nodded before opening another drawer and pulling out some storyboarding work

“Well, there’s plenty to look at in here. I actually take some of my studio work home with me here… I have a new studio for animation and film with just me running it this time, and it's a much nicer place. Not to mention my employees actually _like_ working there”

He chuckled at his own joke before Norman smiled, looking over the storyboard sheets now

“Y’know, we were thinkin’ ‘bout formin’ our own studio too; the kid’s gon’ love it.. Though, most everyone was on board really… seems only fitting considerin’”

Henry nodded at that, slowly moving some supplies out of the way of his drawing board

“Despite how bad that twisted ink hell of a studio was… I just can’t help but know this is still my calling. I _will_ say though, it gave plenty inspiration for our more horror based concepts we like to play with for older audiences. Bendy won’t view them though- he’s too scared of them”

Norman sniffed a quiet laugh at that, looking curious now

“That has me wondering too… how’re the rest ‘a yer friends doin’ post-ink studio an’ all? Since we’re already so different I’m assumin’ they won’t be the same as back home...”

“Oh- really well, actually! In fact, Wally and Shawn apparently never saw the inky Hell at all which is weird, but another story. They live with Grant running a fun toy shop and small repair company together. Our Susie became the actress she wanted to be finally and travels a lot, so she’s not here right now- but she’ll pop in now and again. Lacie and Bertrum actually made a quite successful amusement park outside our town we should take you all to someday… we have lifetime passes, afterall.”

“Heh, that might help us get the kid t’ stop bein’ so scared of amusement parks”

Smiling, Henry shrugged

“Maybe our Sammy too”

After a brief chuckle from both of them, Henry pondered about the others some more;

“Besides them, Sammy has a fancy orchestra he plays with and conducts in big shows when he’s not studying the occult stuff.. Our Norman does his own film and movie making on top of ranching… oh- right! Allison and Tom! They live right next door actually, and I typically eat dinner with them and Inky. Allison tends to her garden and bakes when she’s home and Tom has all kinds of inventing and mechanical work he does…”

Norman seemed amused as he listened to the explanation before his smile dropped halfway through. Looking confused, he furrowed his brow questioning;

“Inky? Ya mean the Ink demon?”

Blinking, Henry remembered a few things suddenly- their Ink demon had been sent to Hell, _and_ had fused with Norman at some point which likely traumatized him somewhat if he remembered it. Frowning a little, he nodded;

“Yeah, our Ink demon. He actually turned out to be as much of a victim of Joey’s as we were, but with what happened there’s still tensions… personally I don’t mind him though- he’s nothing like yours was from what I recall being told. He’s just… quiet and shy now, and likes keeping to his corner away from everyone to just enjoy being outside.”

Norman looked conflicted before shrugging, quietly pondering his thoughts aloud;

“Ours didn’t exactly get a chance at that… he was pretty mistreated too, a real shame honestly. No one deserves that. Still, he made bad choices up ‘til the end, so I’m not sure what woulda happened otherwise… I’m glad yers has another chance though- livin’ outside ‘a all that.”

He still seemed unsure though, leaving something unsaid. Henry wasn’t going to push however, instead putting a gentle but firm reassuring hand on his shoulder

“Hey, I’m sorry to hear that… at the very least you and your friends do have that chance- and you get to celebrate that now.”

As he reassured Norman, he seemed to be almost… gazing at him for some odd reason. Henry wasn’t sure why, but it was because he couldn’t see what Norman was seeing. 

Furrowing his brow slowly while still gazing at him, Norman quietly questioned;

“Hey… ya wouldn’t happen ta have a fancy piece ‘a glass on a stick or somethin’, would ya?”

Equally confused, Henry shrugged slightly

“If you mean the seeing tool, then I think I still have it somewhere… I had something else to the same effect, but uh… well that doll in your dimension took it.”

As Henry began looking for the seeing tool, he called over his shoulder;

“Hey, you didn’t happen to find and bring that back did you? It was my special ink sword that worked like the seeing tool…”

“Oh, that; yeah Shawn definitely has it, but his apartment’s a right mess an’ he said he’s looking fer it… It’ll show up eventually, promise”

Finally pulling out the seeing tool, Henry turned to him with a half smile

“I hope so, I’d really like it back. Anyways, here’s the tool; what’re you needing it for?”

“Just makin’ sure my eyes ain’t playin’ tricks on me is all”

Watching as Norman held up the seeing tool and clicked it on, Henry raised a brow as he was now being inspected through it. He recalled using it before in many loops to look at Allison and Tom seeing how they had glowing hidden aspects- was there something about himself he’d missed? Something Allison hadn’t mentioned? Now he was curious…

“What’re you seeing?”

“You”

“Haha, very funny… is there something different through the glass?”

“Well, your face is bein’ a little warped and silly through the glass”

Trying not to smirk, Henry cleared his throat crossing his arms

“Yeah? Well from the other side, so is yours”

“Aw, that’s just rude”

“Wh- hey, wait a minute-”

Seeing that Norman was grinning however, Henry couldn’t help but grin himself

“Alright, alright… what I’m really seein’ is you lookin’ like the angel you’re touted as, halo bein’ so bright it may as well be a light bulb”

Blinking, Henry snorted

“People call me an angel that much?”

“Haha nah, just jokin’; but ya just seem to be almost too nice sometimes it's hard t’ believe.”

Henry smiled a little at that, feeling almost flustered; compliments always made him feel a bit awkward, more so when one-on-one considering how genuine it was. Then, Norman tacked on to the moment;

“Oh yeah, an’ ya have little wings too”

Blanking for a second, Henry had to ponder what was said before fully taking it in

“W...wings? Do they move or anything? Allison never mentioned that before, I wonder if this is new…”

“Well, they just fluttered when I mentioned the being like an’ angel thing”

Feeling rather aware suddenly, Henry had to stare at the floor realizing they were probably exaggerating his emotions. Even now Norman was probably seeing them show that he felt even _more_ flustered.

“Well, uh, that’s certainly something… It feels odd to know there’s something supposedly attached to me I can’t see or feel”

“Hey at least, unless someone’s usin’ this thing, they won’t see it otherwise. My eyes are just a bit… funky or somethin’. I see the gold stuff on an’ off sometimes- which, yer town’s FULL of it by the way. It's just all over the place for some reason makin’ it glitter”

“I guess you’re right about that… Wait- what? Let me see the tool”

Taking the seeing tool from Norman, Henry raised some blinds from a window that were keeping the room darker. Holding it up and peering through the window, he realized what Norman meant; all over the place there were golden sparkles covering buildings and such, as well as sealed lines showing where cracks had been. He recalled Hank mentioning ‘it fades eventually’ before remembering the ‘I think’.

It seemed that it did _not_ fade eventually, and his couch very much had a glowing gold stain still most likely. At least nobody would see it… except for Norman occasionally.

Lowering the tool, he turned to Norman again

“Well, I know what the _other_ stuff is from- when you guys defeated your machine the pipes that came through all turned into gold dust that showered the place. As for the small sealed lines in the air, those were the rips the pipes came through that closed. I guess there’s some… damage or something? That left scars. At least it's not too bad…”

Giving a low whistle, Norman rocked on his heels a bit with his hands on his hips

“Ain’t that a bite. We made a sure mess a yer place, huh? Don’t regret it much though, seein’ as we got ta meet you lot”

Henry smiled again at that before Norman tacked on,

“But if yer gonna kick us out, I’d understand”

Giving a small huff of a laugh, Henry shook his head

“No, no- I’m happy we all got to meet too. I _am_ going to kick you out of my art studio though- for now. Let’s go join the others again, shall we?”

“Hmm yeah, not a bad idea; I haven’t gotten ta eat any of the food yet. Y’know, I actually can’t remember what my favorite dessert food was”

“Well, when you do figure it out, I’d be happy to make it fresh. I found I like cooking a lot more after having spent so long without it…”

“Sounds pretty good. Just don’t serve anythin’ with peanuts ‘round Sam… I can’t remember my favorite desserts, but fer whatever reason I remember he was allergic t’ peanuts”

Making a face, Henry rushed Norman out of the art studio now

“Right, well, let’s go make sure he _doesn’t eat them then_ ”

Norman looked quite amused, but Henry was mildly panicked- he didn’t want to accidentally kill someone after they’d just gotten free of their studio.

Reaching the kitchen, they found Bendy laughing at Samuel who looked quite upset about something while Alice angel was fretting over him. Looking up to him and Norman as they walked in, he pouted rather uncharacteristically compared to his usual grouchiness.

Snorting, Norman promptly chimed,

“Hey Sam, don’t forget yer allergic ta peanuts”

Giving an angry growl at Norman, he made a frustrated grabbing and squeezing motion at Norman as if he wanted to strangle him. Sighing, Hank looked to Henry with a frown

“It's not lethal, but his tongue is swollen… he can’t talk right”

“Hank, I am… _so_ sorry. I didn’t know- I guess there must’ve been peanuts in the cookies…”

“It's alright, none of us knew-”

Cutting in, Norman sounded rather smug

“I did.”

Looking unamused, Hank sighed

“Thanks, Norman.”

“Welcome”

Next to Samuel, Alice was trying to use her healing magic on him but it was only giving a mild effect. Grimacing a little, Henry shook his head

“I’d give you medicine for this, but we don’t really have any because the people here don’t get sick.”

Snorting, Bendy finally chimed in from his snickering

“That’s why Sammy left; these two don’t get along, but he went outta town ta get some anyways. Guess ya rubbed off on ‘im more than ya thought! Norman went ta work, an’ the other Bendy is just outside hangin’ out with Ed and the butcher gang ‘cause he wanted to see their toony stuff that’d break stuff in here”

“That’s a relief… hopefully we can get this fixed up soon. For now, I guess you can help yourself Norman”

“Well I don’t remember bein’ allergic t’ anythin’ myself so I sure as Hell will”

As the projectionist started taking food with Samuel giving him a glare, Bendy got a very smug look that Henry did _not_ like.

“...what is it, Bendy?”

“Oh, nothin’... just the fact that ya sure spent a lotta time alone with the alternate Norman here. What were ya guys doin’ that took so long, _huh?_ ”

Eyes widening, Henry flustered again before waving his hands desperately

“No no no- Bendy, it wasn’t-”

“Were you guys havin’ some alone time or somethin’? Two lovebirds hidin’ from us?”

Taken aback by that so much, Henry was struggling to respond and he was almost certain his face was turning some shade of a color that wasn’t red. At least, he thought, nobody could see the wings.

Thankfully however, Norman responded for him- albeit with banana bread in his mouth

“Nah, it wasn’t anythin’ like that. He just caught me snoopin’ ‘round is all, keepin’ me outta trouble”

Hank snorted softly at that, commenting;

“You must be getting rusty then”

“Hey, that’s what I said!”

Sighing in relief, Henry felt less embarrassed… until Alice spoke up.

“Oooh, that’s so sweet though! Henry _is_ single and has been living mostly alone- I think a date would be a great idea!”

At that, Henry felt far too frozen and embarrassed to respond beside a grimacing smile while Norman choked on his banana bread. Despite his allergic reaction, Samuel was rather smug now while Hank had his own half smirk starting that he was attempting to fight back. Bendy bursted out cackling finally, slapping a hand on his knee

“Alice, aw man- yer completely right though, they should!”

Holding up a hand trying to speak, Henry was struggling to say anything when Samuel decided to speak first despite his swollen tongue;

“Well, Norman ith thingle thoo…”

Snickering at the lisp from the poor man’s allergies, Bendy teasingly directed his attention to Norman now

“So, yer single ay? Whatcha gonna do- ask ‘im out now?”

After coughing up the rest of the bread he’d choked on, Norman cleared his throat for a moment before sighing

“Well, uh… I guess we could go out fer some.. salad or somethin, heheh. Casual salad date, right?”

His expression seemed rather calm and joking, but his hands missed as he tried to pick up a glass of water knocking it over instead. Thankfully Hank was quick to put napkins down while Bendy cackled to the point he was rolling on the floor. Sighing, Henry slowly gave an apologetic look to Norman

“I’m… so sorry. This kind of thing happens more often than I’d like to admit…”

“S’alright, I like salad anyways…”

Samuel snorted, giving him a look

“Yeah… almotht enough to fight for it”

Norman shrugged earnestly at that before Little Bendy suddenly came running in, bouncing excitedly and covered in grass and mud.

“Guys guys guys, the butcher gang are so much fun!! We did all kindsa toony stuff an’ had an adventure an’- hey, why’s yer face that color Norman?”

Henry could feel his own face flushing in solidarity as Norman became even more embarrassed. Shrugging, he once again tried to take it in stride;

“Why’s yours not that color?”

Little Bendy seemed confounded by the question presented enough to thankfully not press further. Alice leaned over curiously though, a finger pressed to her chin thoughtfully

“So, are you actually going to go out for salad? I think a nice lunch to hang out would be cute! You could get to know each other better!”

Boris, who had finally stopped eating long enough to catch on blinked at that before signing

‘That’s what dates are for, right? Not just the kind you eat?’ 

Henry shrugged nervously, giving an almost forced smile at this point

“I mean, I suppose that’s true… I won’t say no to lunch and all. Maybe I could see your side of things too?...”

Norman shrugged back, giving a nonchalant response that was given away by how curt and abrupt it was;

“Yeah, sure; sounds good.”

Just then Sammy came rushing back in with a pharmaceutical bag, holding it over his head and half-shouting;

“I GOT THE MEDICINE! It took a bit to get to and back but-”

Looking at the various moods in the room, he raised an eyebrow

“Did I just miss something?”

Cutting in quickly and taking the bag, Henry brushed it off;

“Nothing really important, thanks for getting this though”

Giving Samuel the medicine finally so the poor man could stop suffering, Henry sighed softly while turning to Norman wanting to both apologize but reassure him that lunch together didn’t _have_ to be awkward or anything… but then there’d be more comments about the whole ‘date’ situation. He wasn’t sure if either of them could handle more in the moment.

“Alright, well, this has certainly been… something. I appreciate you guys taking time to visit and all but let’s hope next time is less.. Eventful”

The last part was said while he looked between Samuel struggling to take the medicine and Norman trying to act calm while tapping his foot slightly. He at least smiled at Hank trying to diffuse the awkward tension.

“So… anyone want more tea?”

-

Despite the awkward reasoning for how it had come about, Henry wasn’t all too opposed to having lunch with the alternate Norman- he was actually quite excited to see the other dimension again now that it wasn’t a deadly studio. He also thought it’d be nice to get to know Norman better; making friends was a specialty of his it seemed. Though… he couldn’t stop thinking of the implications everyone had placed on this meetup being a date.

Acknowledging as such, Henry couldn’t tell how Norman was taking it- thus he figured he’d at least dress nicely just in case, and because it was just nice to do so anyways. Though his usual wear consisted of button ups and dress pants and shoes already, he wanted to make more effort at least for this.

Having spent more time than he’d like to admit trying to figure out what to wear for a ‘salad date’, Henry finally narrowed it down to a dark gray long sleeve v-neck sweater with a white button up underneath (sleeves rolled down this time), pale gray dress pants, and his usual black dress shoes. It wasn’t too fancy, but he felt confident about how he looked which was always nice.

Bendy didn’t help though as he wolf whistled at him before cackling

“Sorry old man, just gotta make sure ya know yer lookin’ good fer yer date!”

“First of all, I know I look fine- I’m not worried about that. Second of all, I don’t know if this is even _really_ a date or not; Norman seemed… unsure as I am.”

Shrugging, Bendy strolled over grinning

“Even if it ain’t I think he’ll be fallin’ fer ya anyways! Yer a nice good lookin’ guy which is why I’m so good lookin’ myself!”

Henry smiled a little at that, sighing with a slight smirk now

“Yeah? ‘Family resemblance’ huh?”

“Hell yeah!!”

Hopping around him a bit, Bendy beamed up at him

“Yer gonna knock ‘im dead!”

“I… would sure hope not! It's just salad…”

Cackling again, Bendy wheezed

“Maybe he’ll choke on it!”

“Please don’t say that…”

As Bendy kept snickering, Henry checked his watch he’d recently gotten before looking in the mirror again one more time

“Hmm… should I… wear cologne or is that too much? I don’t know…”

Already having grabbed it, Bendy held up the bottle spraying him in the face. Coughing without flinching or moving, Henry waved a hand

“Thanks for that… really.”

“Yer welcome! Now go knock-”

“I’m _not_ killing him, Bendy.”

“Awwww…. No fun!”

Turning to leave, Henry flinched as Little Bendy suddenly was standing on his bed chiming in;

“Don’t forget this!”

Grunting as something was slapped to his chest, Henry looked down to find an almost comical squirt flower looking corsage pinned to his sweater.

“Uh… couple questions- How did you get here, and what _is_ this?”

“The how ain’t important, an’ it's my gift fer yer date! Other Bendy told me all about it so I made ya this magic corsage so you’ll look normal t’ everyone else. You don’ wanna get stared at the whole time with the horns, ink and all- I know I don’t!”

“Ah- that’s actually a good point and very helpful, thank you.”

“Anythin’ fer Norm’s date!”

Henry was feeling embarrassed all over again, certain his face was starting to blush

“Right. Date.”

Hopping on his bed with Bendy joining him, Little Bendy enthusiastically waved his arms

“Yeah, now get a move on- ya don’t wanna be late!”

Checking the time again, Henry flinched realizing he _was_ going to be late if he didn’t leave

“Ah- right! I’ll see you guys later, just please stay out of trouble?”

Giving a sly smile that Henry did NOT trust, Bendy put his hands on his hips

“Oh we will, don’t worry~”

“Bendy, you saying that worries me. Alice angel is in charge while I’m gone”

“Awwww!”

Before Bendy could argue further however, Henry had read the sticky note Sammy had put the spells on for him to open the way over. Watching the doorway form, he was more careful to open it this time so as not to smack anyone on the other side.

As he stepped through, Henry was met face to face with a surprised Samuel who gave a bit of a ‘Woah!’ before moving out of the way. Giving a small apologetic wave, He closed the door behind him letting it disappear again.

“Hey, sorry about the scare… I’m here for the uh, lunch with Norman. Is he here?”

Getting an almost Bendy level sly look himself, Samuel snorted

“Oh yeah, he’s here; He’s only been in his room for the past hour agonizing over your ‘not date’... I think he’s pacing and still figuring out what to wear.”

Henry almost felt bad at that- was it really that stressful for the poor man?

“Ah, I see. Should I wait outside or?...”

“Wait here, I’ll go check on him for you.”

Standing in the kitchen now, Henry could hear Samuel walk away before a sudden distant door slam jolted him a little followed by Samuel loudly calling out;

“Hey Norman, your date’s here!”

Grimacing, Henry rubbed the back of his neck deciding to look around their kitchen instead, which looked clean and homely. It seemed like a nice place to live…The kitchen itself wasn’t very large but it was quaint and rather old-fashioned. The fridge had magnetic letters spelling out the names of the home’s residents and clipped on to-do lists and childish drawings. There were a couple trinkets on the counter but it was mostly organized, even with the surprising amount of cereal boxes stacked in the corner. 

There was a half wall dividing the kitchen from a living room that had a fireplace, many shelves chock-full of memorabilia, and a couch and recliner on each side of a coffee table. The table itself had a mess of papers, full of more drawings of a more professional level, and music sheets. The home was very lived in and surprisingly intact for how old it must’ve been. 

As he pondered such, he realized Hank was sitting down nearby the entire time looking as if he was half-asleep. It seemed as if he hadn’t noticed anything that’d just happened… had he slept recently?

“Uh… Hank? You alive in there?”

The only response Henry got was a tired ‘mmhn’, so he decided not to bother him; he could relate to the feeling anyways.

Distantly, he could hear some grouchy exchange going on with a loud response he recognized as Norman’s;

“Jeeze, yer real quick t’ get rid ‘a me- didn’t realize ya wanted alone time with Hen so bad!”

Henry had to stifle a snort at the response as he could hear them coming back down the stairs Samuel had apparently climbed earlier to fetch him. As Samuel separated to enter the kitchen, Henry was pleasantly surprised by how nice Norman looked as he was approached by him; he was wearing a turtleneck sweater with a nice coat over top as well as dress pants and dress shoes.

  
  


(Contributed by @Corruptimles on twitter!)

Smiling, Henry stood up a little straighter to greet him;

“Hey, good to see you; you look really nice”

“I’d hope so”

He smiled sounding like his usual joke-y self at least, which was good- it hopefully meant he wasn’t uncomfortable.

“Ya look nice yerself by the way”

Giving a small nervous smile, he had to hold his hands together to stop from rubbing his neck out of habit

“Thanks, Bendy sprayed me in the face with cologne for this”

Norman snorted at that, grinning

“I think Sam was pretty close t’ doin’ the same thing…”

Henry smiled back at that as Samuel scoffed at Norman’s words before Hank suddenly spoke up from behind them, causing Henry to turn;

“Hey, did our Bendy give you the thing he was supposed to?”

“Oh- the flower? Yeah, he gave it to me…”

“That’s good… you two take care of each other now”

With a brief thumbs up, Hank went right back to looking like he was asleep at the table, Samuel giving a mild look of concern as he slid coffee over to him. Henry had to purse his lips so as not to laugh before turning to Norman

“Well, guess we should head out then?”

“Yup, to our casual date-not-date salad date-”

Henry chuckled at that, especially as Norman kept tacking more on;

“-that might be a date but also not a date with salad involved on this date salad not date-”

Starting to head for the door as Norman continued to mutter extra add-ons for the ‘salad not date’, Henry was followed thankfully as they left. 

Driving them to an italian bistro, Norman seemed to be rather nervous despite his outwardly calm demeanor; for one thing, Henry noticed him tapping the steering wheel a bit. Smiling sympathetically, Henry decided to try and make it less awkward for him with talk;

“It's been a while since I’ve gone out to eat, you know… we have restaurants where I live but I never have a reason to really go out over cooking at home. I think it's nice to have lunch like this, taking a break from work and all.”

“Y’know, funny enough I don’t eat out that often myself either despite the fact that nobody at home cooks all that well. Me, Sam, Hen and Bendy all live together yet none of us can make a real decent meal, haha. Well, Hen is rather average, but the rest of us... ”

Henry smiled at that, but with a slight concern

“None of you?? Maybe I should teach at least one of you how to cook sometime then…”

As they had quiet banter on the way, Henry’s eyes trailed out the window over the city; it was fall time for their dimension so it was cooler, thus warranting Henry’s sweater. He hadn’t really been in city areas too often, preferring the cozier town side instead so there was a lot to see. Additionally, everything looked rather dated which was comforting- it made him think of home and how things were pre-studio… not that he regretted where he was now, but it was still nice to see.

He must’ve accidentally trailed off to stare as Norman prompted again;

“Hey, ya still with me?”

“Huh? Oh- yeah, sorry… just enjoying the view. It reminds me of home before all the studio stuff…”

He smiled out the window before turning to look at Norman who was smiling a little himself.

“It is a nice view…”

Henry continued smiling and gazing around before they finally pulled into a parking lot near the bistro. Now that they had actually arrived, Henry felt somewhat nervous again- he still didn’t know if this was a real date or not. Should he have brought a gift? Flowers maybe? He hoped he wouldn’t disappoint Norman on accident…

Heading for the restaurant, he smiled yet again- at this point he was wondering if it was going to get stuck and make his face hurt.

“Have you eaten here before? It seemed like you knew the way pretty well”

“Well, sorta; Sam an’ Jack played here before an’ I attended. It was pretty nice and I liked the salad they served”

Chuckling, Henry gazed at the decorative lights hanging over the outdoor seating area with some wonder

“That does sound nice… and it's pretty too”

Norman looked like he was about to say something, but he held it instead leaving Henry curious. Whatever it was, he looked flustered now… which only made Henry even _more_ curious. He didn’t press though, he figured Norman would tell him if he really wanted to.

Now entering the bistro and getting seated in the lovely lit outdoor area, Henry was gazing at the lights again with a little smile of delight while Norman seemed to be pondering something. It thankfully wasn’t too crowded, but Henry still had a mild concern over them reacting to him. However, as he looked around to make sure, nobody seemed to see him as out of place; the corsage must have been working then.

Having already ordered drinks, Henry slowly started looking at the menu before questioning;

“Do you want me to pay for this? I really don’t mind, I can afford it… Plus it’d be a sort of apology for this being sprung on you last minute from my Bendy”

Sighing, Norman shook his head

“Unfortunately I don’t think that’ll work out here- yer money is gonna be the wrong date an’ print from our time.”

Grimacing, Henry felt rather guilty at that

“Oh- I’m sorry… I’d pay you back, but that same issue gets in the way. If there’s anything I can do for you?...”

“Sure, take me out fer lunch in your place-”

He suddenly dropped off mid-sentence looking like he was realizing something he’d suggested. Henry again wished he knew what he was thinking, but he still wasn’t going to push it.

“I think that’s fair; I can take you out for lunch again on me. It’ll be nice!”

Norman stayed quiet for a moment before shrugging at the proposal; hopefully it wasn’t too awkward for him, Henry just wanted to pay him back.

After having their orders taken, Henry turned to Norman figuring he’d get to know him better- he may be an alternate version of someone he knew, but that didn’t mean they were the same.

“So what is it you like to do exactly? I’m assuming you have a knack for film and all, but what about your hobbies and dream career?”

“Well, I’m still figuring that out fer myself to be honest… I ain’t lookin’ fer nothin’ too fancy, I’m not one fer the spotlight like Sam is. If anythin’ I prefer what goes on behind the scenes, y’know? Seein’ how it all works”

Looking curious now, Henry leaned forward resting his chin in one hand

“Really? I suppose that makes sense with getting behind things for answers, right? It’s almost like a detective for film and animation… but I suppose it could also be called _snooping_ ”

Henry gave a slight sly smile at that, Norman giving a nonchalant shrug back with an easy smile

“Could be… could be. I’ve just always liked animation an’ wanted to see what goes into it, seein’ as I couldn’t reproduce it- I ain’t got the skill for it, but that’s why I got into the technical work so I could still be ‘round it”

Henry nodded at that, finding it actually reassuring that Norman liked animation seemingly as much as he did; it was a life passion, after all- something he’d like to share with his friends… and anyone trying to be more than that. The second half of that though he wasn’t sure would apply here or not… it made him feel flustered to consider it.

“Hm, I see… Well, if you’d like me to show you how to make an animation start to finish for you I can share my process for something small- for fun and all. How’s that sound?”

Looking excited himself, Norman smiled back now

“That’d actually be pretty neat. Yer drawings were real nice already, it’d be nice to see ‘em in action”

Henry chuckled at that, sitting up more at the compliment

“Thanks, I appreciate that… practice and all. Though it feels like I have a _lot_ to learn, now more than ever considering the new technology that’s developed while we were away…”

“Hm… I feel ya on that. Though I guess I’m a quick learner, ‘cause I’m already caught up with a new camera and film fer our stuff. Wasn’t too terribly hard, but then again I can be determined to reverse engineer…”

Henry wondered what subtext the last part had as Norman seemed to be musing about something to himself, but he simply smiled in return.

“That aside, do you have any current work?”

“Right now? Mostly photography fer the same newspaper as Hen until we get our own startup goin’ fer animation again. It ain’t a bad line of work, but I am lookin’ forward t’ gettin’ back to working on cartoons an’ film funny enough”

Henry smiled more warmly, shrugging softly

“It’s not too far-fetched… I was ready to get back to it myself too. It’s the passion I suppose- more than just a job. It’s an interest, hobby, and all that gives joy simply for doing it. That aside though, I also have other hobbies I’ve found love for including baking with Allison, studying weird magic stuff, and dedicating my time to helping others- as a life coach or helping hand. Hah, that must sound really sappy…”

Norman was quiet for a moment before blinking and rubbing his eyes a bit, sitting up more and giving a little smile as if he hadn’t apparently been gazing at something.

“Ah, no- that sounds great actually, sappy is great; it shows genuine enjoyment an’ compassion which is nice an’ kinda rare these days…”

Henry felt a little flustered at that, smiling and rubbing his neck nervously giving in to his habit; unbeknownst to him, the wings he couldn’t see had puffed somewhat.

“You really think so?... I appreciate hearing that. Bendy mostly makes fun of me for it, but he means well- he’s just a rascal.”

Henry was probably blushing at least a little by now- he hadn’t had a one on one talk like this in a long while, no less with genuine conversation and compliments. His friends were usually busy, and as much as he loved the toons, they weren’t exactly like him. It was nice to spend time with someone more, ironically, human.

While Henry was busy thinking, Norman had trailed off to look towards the inside which drew his attention back as well; someone was playing a guitar inside the bistro. Turning to look too now, Henry listened for a moment before Norman spoke again;

“Y’know I actually used t’ play guitar a while back… I think? Memory’s still a little fuzzy sometimes, but I bet I could pluck a few notes correctly”

Looking back to Norman, Henry smiled again; he was hoping it wasn’t getting weird, it was both a nervous habit but also him enjoying their chat.

“Really? I never played an instrument, but I always thought it was nice listening to the music department… I sometimes wish I knew how, but it’s a lot of work and not exactly my forte. Still nice to watch someone play, though”

Getting that look he did when usually joking, Norman leaned back in his seat a bit

“Well, maybe we could see if I can play still- and how bad it’d be t’ listen to me pluckin’ an’ messin’ up the guitar the whole time- it’ll be great”

Henry chuckled, leaning forward to rest on his arm again

“Why not? If you do remember how, I’d love to hear you play”

Giving a genuine smile, Henry could see some kind of reaction in Norman’s face that was likely a form of surprise at his response. Henry wasn’t sure why- he’d offered to play, right? He actually wanted to hear it… was Norman expecting a different reaction?

“Nah, I mean- it’d probably be _really_ bad an’ only hurt yer ears…”

“That’s alright, I don’t mind; You said you’re a quick learner so I bet you could figure it out before long. I’m curious to see you play!”

Still smiling warmly, Henry could see Norman starting to get… embarrassed? Shuffling a bit in his chair now, Norman seemed to be pondering something before responding again;

“So you uh, want me to play just fer you- like a serenade or somethin’? haha”

Henry chuckled a little himself, shrugging and leaning forward on both hands curled under his chin now as he replied;

“If you want to I won’t stop you, I’ve never been serenaded before…”

(Contributed as a collaboration both by me and @Corruptimles on twitter!)

Going almost blank at that, Norman looked as if he’d stopped working- Henry hoped he hadn’t accidentally embarrassed him. He just wanted to be friendly and supportive; was that too much for him?

Regardless, Norman was now reaching into his coat for something… had he brought something with him after all? Watching with nervous curiosity, Henry’s eyes widened a little as he took out… an entire head of lettuce from his jacket. Sitting up slowly, Henry had MANY questions, but he was going to wait and see where this went first.

Holding up the lettuce with a gesture, Norman quirked a brow at him

“So… salad date, huh?”

With that, the man bit _directly into the lettuce_ without breaking eye contact. In pure silence, the two stared eye to eye as he crunched on it.

Slowly pursing his lips, Henry had to take a moment to consider what he’d just witnessed… They were both dressed nicely, having a genuine conversation, sitting at a somewhat fancy bistro with sweet guitar music. And he’d just produced and bitten into a head of lettuce.

It was, to say the least, incredibly absurd… and the exact kind of humor Henry loved.

Face twisting into a smirk, Henry snorted loudly before he couldn’t help bursting out laughing and covering his mouth. Taking a moment to calm himself, he sighed but was still chuckling;

“D-did you just… You just brought that _for a joke?_ You had an _entire lettuce_ in your jacket?? I- That’s probably the best thing I’ve seen in a _while_ ”

Blanking again, a bit of lettuce leaf fell from Norman’s mouth at Henry’s response- it seemed, once again, he was trying to elicit a different reaction entirely. Instead, he slightly brandished the lettuce at him now;

“I’ll take another bite, I swear I’ll do it!”

Only laughing more, Henry wiped a tear from his eye

“What, and not share any with me? So much for a ‘date’, huh?”

Snorting himself, Norman was now the one laughing loudly; a sound that made Henry happy to hear, but it was soon followed by coughing as the poor man started choking on the lettuce. Henry quickly recalled the comment made by his Bendy earlier mentioning something about Norman choking on salad…

“H-hey, are you alright?? I didn’t mean to make you choke”

Thumping his chest a bit, Norman wheezed before sighing and setting the lettuce down

“Yeah- I’m alright, I’m alright… Ya just got me good with that one.”

Smiling again, Henry sighed softly from his nose leaning back in his chair… he really liked hanging out with Norman. His humor and demeanor were charming, and refreshing; he felt they could have a lot of fun getting to know one another. Oh jeeze… he hoped Bendy wouldn’t say something embarrassing about that.

Looking at the lettuce for a moment, Norman sighed a little before rubbing his neck and speaking again; it seemed he shared a certain habit with Henry.

“Y’know, that act usually makes people uncomfortable enough t’ leave… but yer just stickin’ ‘round, huh?”

“Why wouldn’t I? It’s hilarious, and something not entirely out of the blue for what I deal with. I live with toons… let’s just say ‘toon humor’ is a bit of my daily life now. I just never expected it from someone like you”

“Well, I’d end up borin’ you then wouldn’t I? You wouldn’t wanna be bothered with more of the same thing?...”

“Same thing? Boring? Not at all; you’re not a toon for one thing, and it’s never boring for me! I love that kind of thing… I appreciate knowing you share that kind of humor too”

Giving another warm smile, Henry watched as Norman set the lettuce down fully now looking surprisingly… exasperated. Huh. That definitely wasn’t what he was expecting. Was he doing something wrong?

Sitting up and sighing, Norman held out his hands looking like he was going to explain before he simply sighed heavily again. Looking to Henry once more, he finally responded;

“I just thought the lettuce thing was really weird, right? Like it’d make ya wanna leave or somethin’- not that I’m _tryin’_ ta get ya t’ leave- well, I mean I _was_ but not in a mean way! I ain’t tryin’ t’ be mean, I just, well, I’m a little confused and… don’t know how to handle this? Uh, not the lettuce- this whole… thing here, and I just don’t- I don’t know how t’ handle it…”

Trailing off, Norman looked a little stressed which made Henry frown and reach a hand out

“Hey, are you alright? I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or anything- I just figured it’d be nice to go out and eat while getting to know one another…”

“I’ve never had a crush before.”

Taken aback at the sudden confession, Henry sat up straighter while blinking a few times making sure he’d heard it right… Norman… had a _crush on him?_ Now _that_ was surprising to him.

Feeling his face get notably warmer, Henry slowly gave a sheepish smile before putting a hand on his cheek thinking how he _definitely_ was blushing now.

“C...crush?”

“Yeah… I know, right? I thought I knew what a crush was in concept, but turns out I can’t really figure it out so I tried to… well...”

Giving a quiet sigh, Henry leaned forward again giving him a soft look

“I think what you’re struggling with is the fact it’s not exactly something you can ‘figure out’... when it comes to this kind of thing, it’s something you just have to find out along the way. There’s no ‘secret’ to it… you just kind of feel it, and see where it goes.”

Henry then made a slight face at though, giving a so-so hand gesture

“Buuut that can be really nerve wracking considering it’s entirely unknown, and a mystery of what can happen… but I guess that’s part of the beauty in it- getting to know someone and figuring out how you work together. I think it’s sweet… and I think your crush is really sweet.”

Henry beamed at him, feeling incredibly shy and embarrassed but surprisingly… confident. Perhaps he’d changed more than he thought post-studio after all.

Norman, on the other hand, looked stunned into silence before he sank onto the table wrapping his arms over his head in embarrassment. Giving a sympathetic look, Henry reached over and gently patted one of his arms

“It’s alright… really. I happen to really like your company...”

Muffled in his arms now, Norman questioned him;

“So yer not gonna leave?...”

“Leave? I don’t think so… I think I’d like to take you to lunch on my side again sometime instead.”

Still smiling, Henry could only wonder how Norman was feeling; but his response seemed promising at least

“...that’d be nice.”

Henry nodded despite it not exactly being visible to Norman before the waiter suddenly returned to give them their food. Only… her eyes were trained on the bitten head of lettuce sitting next to Norman. Pursing her lips, there was a long awkward silence before she simply placed down their plates and left. Henry could almost swear he heard her mutter ‘I don’t get paid enough to care’.

After she finally left, Henry looked back to Norman and leaned forward to quietly speak just to him;

“You know I don’t think you can eat face down on the table like that. How about we eat the _actual_ salad now?...”

Giving a snort under his arms in response, Norman chuckled but it was still muffled. Henry only chuckled with him, sitting back up as Norman slowly unfolded to do so too. Quite charmingly in Henry’s opinion, Norman’s face had darkened with blush too.

Official date or not… Henry was certain of a couple things. One was that he liked Norman’s company and might actually like to try dating… the other was he wanted to know what it was like to bite a lettuce.

-

After having returned from their ‘salad date’ that day, a lot of things had fallen fairly quickly into place for both sides- and how they were now interacting quite a bit to the point they might as well be living in the same universe.

For instance, Norman was visiting Henry a lot more for little dates here and there and spending more time getting to know one another. The day of their first ‘date’ they’d even returned to Hank’s home holding hands which Little Bendy and Samuel had not let go of since. Though funny enough, Henry felt he hadn’t let go either as he found himself holding his hand a lot more too.

Norman had been kind enough to actually play guitar for him too despite how embarrassing the suggestion had been initially. Turns out he did remember quite well how to, and Henry got a lovely serenade out of him after all. It was something he thought about often- perhaps sometime he could get Norman to play for the others too.

Additionally, Norman seemed to be living more in his house than Hank’s to the point Henry caught him at four in the morning raiding the kitchen… using his own halo for light. It turned out Little Bendy had blessed him with one quite some time ago, so they both had one; rather fitting he felt. Also fitting was the fact Norman would now raid Hank and Samuel’s kitchen late at night instead of his, not much to Samuel’s taste who had been hoping to apparently see less of Norman. Not to be mean entirely, but it seemed he too was figuring out his own relationship to Hank and wanted space.

Along with Norman though another invader showed up again to Henry’s initial fear only to learn who it really belonged to. The Bendy doll who had stolen his special sword had returned, but this time with an apologetic Shawn Flynn from Hank’s side. Apparently the doll was his that he’d accidentally brought to life named ‘Crooky’, a name earned by its kleptomania and lopsided grin.

It was still amusing when Henry thought back to the way Shawn had held out the sword and apologized on behalf of his toy friend who was busy climbing on him. He’d even gone so far as to clean up and somewhat put back together the sword for him which was very kind; it made it easier to display on his mantle, and nice to look at. A good memento of how he and his own group had fought for their freedom.

That, and it was supposedly a peace offering to pardon the doll whom Henry still wasn’t entirely comfortable with… part of him wondered when he’d start losing other small things for it. Bendy shared the sentiment, often hissing whenever he saw his stuffed doppelganger waddling around. Boris and Alice didn’t seem to mind it though as Crooky often pretended to be chummy around them… probably planning something. Hopefully they wouldn’t lose anything either.

Among other interesting cross relations, Hank’s Susie and Allison had a kind of ‘girls night’ with his Susie, Allison, Lacie, and Alice angel. The six of them enjoyed more feminine company for once sharing their own forms of entertainment and activities that had an impressive range. For one, they sometimes spent evenings simply knitting, watching movies and occasionally cooking. Other times they had adventures late at night, dancing, driving around town, and other things Henry didn’t know because apparently, according to Alice angel, it was seclusive to ‘the girls’.

Speaking of new friendship, it also somewhat applied to both of the Sammys who finally, after what Henry worried would be an eternal conflict, had put aside their differences. It had taken a lot of time, convincing, and de-escalating for the two to get along in their own… interesting way. 

Samuel and Sammy often jabbed at one another and seemed snide, but they genuinely respected one another in their careers at least. They’d found common grounds in their passion for music and orchestra; something Henry was glad for. The _other_ passion they’d found they shared, unfortunately, was gossip. That one Henry _wasn’t_ so glad for… but their Susie sure was, seeing as it was a favorite past-time for her too.

Henry was just glad to know that they had one another’s company to hang out and have fun with, and even share recovery. Though most of their lives seemed happy, the dark past they’d suffered often lingered and wasn’t forgotten. Despite it, everyone at least had reformed in their own ways and was moving forward.

Currently, as Henry sat now next to Hank enjoying warm tea on a swinging bench on his front porch, he felt rather content with the way things had turned out. He had lots of friends and family- even from another entire world now- with which he could share his happiness and time with. 

Watching the sunset that was warming them, Henry smiled while listening to the soft guitar playing from Norman nearby. It added to the peaceful atmosphere that truly fit how comfortable settled everything seemed. Thinking on it, Henry had found many things too that he was glad for in their new lives. While friendship was perhaps the most important and dear to him, he genuinely was glad to have love again… both platonically and romantically. It was something he thought he’d lost forever when he’d set foot in the studio again all those years ago.

Closing his eyes now, Henry knew that no matter what came next he and everyone else could handle it; at least a lot better than ever before. Though, perhaps, they wouldn’t have to… at least for a while. After all, he was quite tired of surprises and life or death experiences.

Looking over to Hank who was almost dozing into his own cup of tea, Henry couldn’t help chuckling and thinking his old friend felt the same way.

Sipping his own tea and watching both Bendys play though, he knew the quiet was always full of surprises…

“Hey, can ya eat this whole melon or what??”

“Wanna see me try?!”

“DO I!”


End file.
